Youths from Aldai, Chesumei, Tinderet and Nandi Hills sub counties have been sensitized on the need for their public participation on governance issues.
The group dubbed Underit Youth Group (UYG), an implementing partner of Uraia Trust, advocates for empowering special interest groups that include the Youth, Women and People With Disabilities (PWDs).
Speaking at a Nandi Hills hotel, UYG coordinator Jacob Sanga said when youths participate in governance it promotes a positive outcome to their locality.
Additionally, Sanga noted that the overall role of youth participation in governance is to bring their voice to community issues thus developing confident, independent and motivated youth leaders in a given society.
“As youths, you can only be empowered through direct participation in governance. When youths develop useful skills and build self -confidence, we establish capable and effective leaders for the next generation,” noted Sanga.
Francis Ng’eny, UYG project officer on his part affirmed that community participation helps youths become empathetic citizens who can potentially continue similar work even when they become adults.
Ng’eny urged youths to train themselves to give back to their communities terming it a way of developing leadership skills as well as to learn the importance of helping by shaping their community.
“Youths have a potential to solve challenges facing society, therefore I urge you to kindly rise up. Development of youth leadership is critical to building civic capacity and long-time community sustainability,” he stated.
Ng’eny said self-help groups form the best platforms that can empower youths as well as discuss issues affecting their communities and come up with solutions to change their society through public participation in governance.
Sharon Cherop, one of the youths who attended the workshop however said that most communities ignore the youths especially in public participation thus leaders fail to work on concerns raised thus demoralizing them.
On behalf of the youths present, Cherop lauded their facilitators noting that they were motivated by their messages and promised to engage more to shape the current society.
“We are grateful for your motivation. We have learnt much today and that has given us hope though we had lost confidence in our leaders. We promise to go an extra mile to shape our communities and even our Country at large,” observed Cherop.
By Ruth Mainye and Collins Kiprotich
