The Uasin Gishu County government has affirmed its commitment to speeding up the adoption into law of the Youth Service Policy, which will inform the inclusion of youth in the county programmes, particularly to bolster efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The policy, which is in its final stages of becoming law, will offer legal frameworks for, among others, ratifying programmes to tackle climate change.
During the International Youth Day in Uasin Gishu County, Governor Jonathan Chelilim pointed out that the youth have the potential to help in efforts to solve climate change and that the enactment of the draft policy, which has been delayed since 2018, would give directions on how the youth could take part in various programmes, especially on the issue of climate action.
He alluded to the fact that the policy has been engineered to create ways through which youth could be empowered to be the segment that would help end the effects of climate change.
Governor Chelilim reiterated that his administration, through the youth policy, would put youth on the frontlines for climate action campaigns as he called on the youth to use their technological knowledge to collect and analyse data and introduce innovations to combat climate change.
“You are the architects of our tomorrow; therefore, the world relies on you. Use technology to make innovations that will assist in mitigating the effects of climate change,” he said.
He further underscored youth empowerment programmes that his government is undertaking, like organising tourneys to identify and nurture talent, free internet to assist youth in picking digital employment, and youth getting up to 30 per cent in reserved procurement opportunities, all inspired by the slogan “Vijana ni Nguzo Tuwakuze.”
On his part, Tarakwa Member of the County Assembly (MCA) Thomas Yego, who is also a member of the Assembly’s Sports and Youth Committee, assured that programmes and legislation that sought to empower the youth would be supported.
The County Executive for Youth, Sports, ICT, and Innovation, Eng. Lucy Ng’endo, urged the youth to take advantage and fully utilise the empowerment programmes the county runs to support them.
Uasin Gishu Youth Chairperson Collins Kemboi, who is also the Executive Director for the Soy Moiben Ainabkoi Turbo Kapseret Kesses Youth (SMATKKEY) group, said that they were advocating for the youth service policy enactment by the county administration, noting that the youth are ready to take part and support the county in its efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change.
“In line with this yearâs youth day theme, âGreen Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable Worldâ as the world embarks on a green transition, young people can participate and contribute to the success of greening the world by planting more trees and practising proper waste management practises,” he said.
He noted that the youth in the county have done a lot of activities to fight climate change, like planting trees in social institutions like schools, and have mobilised the communities on responsible practises of waste disposal to ensure a clean and conducive living environment.
“It is my appeal to the county government of Uasin Gishu that, as they have formed a climate action plan, it is important for them to engage the residents, especially the youth up to the ward level, to utilise the energy the young people have by motivating and informing them on their role in terms of contributing to the climate action,” said Kemboi.
He further stated that the youth service policy, if adopted into law, would give the youth, who form 75 per cent of the total population in the county, a clear framework and roadmap on how to articulate and advocate their issues and enable them to give their input in some sectors touching on youth, like sports and others.
“We need to see a clear framework through the youth policy where young people are included in various appointments. We would like to see this framework bring clarity in terms of building the youthful structures of leadership from sublocation to the county level,” noted Kemboi.
By Ekuwam Sylvester
