Following an announcement of the formation of a national youth group spearheaded by Jimmy Kibaki first son of Kenya's President, existing youth and councils registered their consternation.Below is a press release on the issue from the National Youth Convention
For Immediate Release
Nairobi: Thursday May 28th 2009
Jimmy Kibaki, Tonny Gachoka and Kiema Kilonzo do not speak for the Youth Movement.
In September of 2008, 1300 delegates from all the eight provinces of Kenya created the National Youth Movement at the National Youth Convention. 14 Key resolutions were passed and has been actively recruiting and implementing them through members across the country and at the national level. The National Youth Movement is active and will deliver results as per to the aspirations of the young people who legitimately formed it.
The NYC was represented at the Inter Ethnic youth Forum at the Jumuia Conference Center in Limuru. The Action Plan adopted by the 170 representatives of the different ethnic groups from across Kenya will and forms part of the outreach programmes that is under implementation. NYC supports the efforts of the Inter Ethnic Forum and stands by its action plan.
Jimmy Kibaki, Tonny Gachoka and Kiema Kilonzo were invitees to the National Youth Convention and gave the convention a wide absence. As such they were never elected to represent the National Youth Movement. The NYC notes with grave concern that after Kiema Kilonzo un-invited at the Inter Ethnic Dialogue showed up and after noting that the US Government and other development Partners were keen to work with youth in Kenya, he is conspiring with others (Jimmy and Tonny) to hijack the Youth Movement’s Agenda for short term political gains. The trio does not have a following and no track record of working for the youth development in Kenya and therefore a cheap political outfit that will expire immediately after the next general election.
The National youth Movement therefore recommits its force and following from across the country on the resolutions as passed by delegates from all the 210 constituencies and welcomes all partners working in the youth development arena to supporting the youth agenda in Kenya
We caution all the Development Agencies against working with rogue politicians purporting to be committed on the youth agenda.
The National youth Movement will continue to watch out for the youth of Kenya in persisting for the mainstreaming and promoting of their visibility and voice in the national agenda. While every Kenyan has a right to work and organize young people for any noble cause, we take exception for politicians who want to use young people and dump them after they are done with their short term political agenda.
Signed for and on behalf of the National Youth Convention.
Emmanuel Dennis Ngongo - Convener
CC: All Development Partners and Foreign Missions in Kenya
6 comments:
This begs for urgent formation of a political party for the youth.
This is the only sure way of shutting them down.
adies and gentle men, I salute those who have managed to interpret
the cheap publicity the so called “capital youth” have developed once
again. The youth will always set the pace only then will the
opportunists come along with “resources” and “power” to help move the
agenda forward. They belittle our efforts and only want to be youth
when its convenient. My dear “Lactose Jimmy”, have you just realized
that the youth exist? And even after all the history of what
experiences the youth have gone through in this country, you still
come out of your splendors world only to ride on our backs again? Is
it because your father has been in the high offices from independence
or because he has been president?
The youth have come along way folks, its immoral for someone to claim
that he/she is a youth who demand a stake when we have never seen this
guy ever in our struggle. It’s simply not fair and as you all know how
the youth fight for what they think is good or bad. We will fight and
I want to pledge to defend the real youth, those who have lived the
youth age. Those who had to give room for their other siblings to get
support even when they never got enough or even northing at all. We
know that youth is an institution where anyone can claim a stake. But
just like in any institution, you must have played a role in its
development for you to claim a stake. You know, in most instances, the
youth have always fought against each other. Not because they differ
in needs or aspirations but because they have been taken advantage of
due to their vulnerabilities. I know soon, these forces will look for
some of us, the real youth, those we know and identify with, so that
these colleagues can speak their language. It will happen, because as
it is, it has been argued that needs can compromise conscience. But
all that we can, must and will do is to remodel these colleagues to
the greater vision that we all crafted together. We will make them
sober again and we will work together and win together.
We know that Jimmy already wants the US ambassador in Othaya while
Kiema Kilonzo wants him in his constituency so that they can feel that
they are part and parcel of the agenda that youth have shared with
these diplomats. They may succeed because already they are claiming to
be the ones who are protecting the ambassador from the wrath of
politicians who feel threatened by the power the empowered youth.
Nyanza Youth Coalition, Kikuyus for Change and Rift valley dialogue
forum are threatening the political careers of these politicians
because they have always thrived on the assumption that the youth do
are ignorant and poor. Now this new lot wants to take over the mantle
by assuming the critical role of being the ambassador’s right hand
politicians. So be it, but not at the expense of the youth who are
championing the agenda of prosperity of the nation. Prosperity of
Kenya does not believe in the retention of the status quo. Its change
that’s not what these politicians and the likes of Jimmy can deliver.
The youth have rejected them; we have rejected all of them! Lets prove
it guys.
Mark Okowa
Nyanza Youth Coalition
Amazing resounding thoughts of the masses!! If any of the three can know how it feels to go for numerous recruitment exercises to invain then listen to them. they do not know what it means to be always peeping into borrowed newspapers for job adverts then photocopying your certs till they wear out!! Sending applications all over every now and again...
Please them give us a break!!
Amandla!!
This is rather curious, Jimmy does not have a track record of working for the good of the youth in this country. Just because he wants to run for office, and that he wants to rally young people to support Uhuru kenyatta for the presidency so he thinks that he will manage to bring a revolution in Kenya? Give me a break!
What kiema kilonzo has done is to hijack our agenda and sell it to Jimmy, Tonny Gachoka is simply playing the con artist gane to try and hoodwink donors to support the idea. Why didnt he get enough young people to support his movement of young kenyans in central province to join ODM? How come he never got that support to get elected in the last general election?
Let us not allow the Politicians to Hijack our Agenda. To create what we have at the momemnt as young people of Kenya has been a long protracted process that should not be left to politicians to take advantage of. The National Youth Movement will remain firm off political interests. We shall NOT just allow our selves to be used again. They might have the money, but for sure let us not allow them to con us ever again.
The statement from the National youth Convention will be released shortly. We should send a firm message to the donors so that they do not get coned by this felas.
Comrades
Each and every one of us should sound the alarm bells.
A very clever move is in the offing to scuttle the emerging youth movements across the country.
Jimmy Kibaki, Tony Gachoka and Kiema Kilonzo yesterday launched what they call a national youth movement to fight for reforms and inclusion of youth in the politics of this country. At first this move was laughable to me. It looked cheap. However, as I thought of it through the night, it appeared to me that it is a carefully schemed move to counter the forming revolution in the country. To be honest, it scares me.
Jimmy Kibaki cannot represent change. Everything about him represents continuity of the status quo. Like Uhuru Kenyatta, he has never experienced what it feels like being a Kenyan youth - unemployment, hunger, dropping out of school and disease. He remains a cerelac baby.
Tony Gachoka and Kiama Kilonzo are to me, young people who have lost direction and are desparately looking for any opportunity to remain relevant. It is not lost to anyone what Tony did to his family when he carelessly and recklessly brought down a business empire. We still remember the immoral Weekly Post that he published everyweek. What about his political hop, skip and jump from one political house to the other, without blinking an eye. He has worked with almost every political leader in Kenya - Moi, Kibaki, Ngilu, Raila, Uhuru etc - strategically jumping out when his selfish ends are not met.
It is interesting to note that last saturday, Kiema Kilonzo was amongst the politicians who gate crushed without invitation into a youth event that brought about 170 young people from across the nation convened by Regional Dialogue Forum at Limuru to discuss detribalizing of the reform agenda. It was interesting to see the desparation in their faces when the participants declined to give them a special chance to address the meeting. They had to move out of the hall to go and address the press on the sidelines, during which they pretended to offer support to an initiative whose genesis or future they knew nothing about. It was interesting how one of them who stood next to me asked me", "hi mkutano ni ya nini?" He had no idea about a meeting he travelled from Nairobi to Limuru to gate crush in.
When I therefore saw Kiema Kilonzo with Tony Gachoka and Jimmy Kibaki launching their "national youth movement" in a five start hotel, quoting the same ideologies that we discussed on saturday and that we discuss on this forum and other platforms, it was not lost to me that theirs is a move to either steal thunder from the legitimate and grassroot youth movements across the country or an outright move to scuttle what young people are engaged in.
It reminded me of a reality in many revolutions that have arborted across the globe and even in this country. When the system realises that the revolutionary forces are too strong, they clothe themselves in revolutionary clothe and pretend to join the revolutionary masses in an effort to throw them out of power. Since in most revolutions,the masses are never sure whether they are prepared enough to take the charge of the reins of power, the turncoat, who have experience in associating with power normally wiggle their way to the fore of the revolution and take over its leadership, only to continue with the status quo and destroy the revolution once they are safely back in power. That is how Kenyatta, Moi and Mwai Kibaki became successive Presidents of Kenya. If we are not careful, Kibaki's son and the sons of othe big shots will wiggle their way to power as we watch from the sidelines.
We must resist. OTNOP.
Joshua Nyamori
Nyanza Youth Coalition
Nyamori you echo my thoughts on the same and I don't want to repeat your observations on the inter-ethnic dialogue and the gate crashers...in an event they didn't know genesis or don't even are. Every participant was glad they were not given a press time in the session!!
The move for this outfit is really cheap to say the least. However, it shows me one thing, they have realized that a revolution among the youth is the only way to go, our task is to make sure they don't hijack the moves we are making. We all know that resources have a great contribution to how things run so we need to make sure this doesn't give them the advantage to lure youth into the 'revolutionary move'. I think one thing I have clear in my head is that even as I say youth are marginalized and not given space in political leadership, I am not thinking of just youth as an age bracket!! But youth as an age bracket (least) and most as poor, some people having the advantage of youth bracket really don't belong to the 'Kenyan Youth' per se and hence cant speck for them. How can someone pretend they know what the youth are going through when they don't even know what it is to be in a crowded matatu let alone slaving in the sun for 12 hours a day for some money that can buy a packet of Unga.
Can the Kenyan youth please stand up!!!!
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