I believe that there can never be a peaceful and prosperous society when a majority of the population who are young, skilled, and non-skilled alike continue to wallow in a haze of poverty and biting unemployment that is prevailing in Kenya today.
Failure of the government to create employment for the ever-bulging population of young people is the main reason why Gen Z have been in the streets to protest against the Finance Bill.
They viewed the bill as an extra burden to the already high cost of living because it introduced a torrent of tax hikes, for bread, cars, and sanitary pads, among others. Gen Z campaigners demanded scrapping of the entire bill, an objective they achieved.
The current government has failed its citizenry in several ways, especially in improving the conditions that lead to dignified life by providing essential services such as clean water, housing, good roads/rails and even air transport, quality education, food security, employment etc.
The young generation is at a critical moment where their energy, skills and entrepreneurial skills need to be tapped, through provision of job opportunities.
The government should not dismiss the current outrage by the young people and the street protests; instead, they should view Gen Zs as key drivers of change who have the right to take a lead role in implementing national policies and innovative solutions to the challenges they face.
The main strategies for any properly functioning government should be to genuinely address youth entrepreneurship and youth unemployment as main pillars of our nation. We recognise the fact that for young people to be fully involved in the planning, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and actions affecting their lives, it is essential to give them the political and economic will and support that they require.
As an aspiring national leader, I would ensure we promote youth entrepreneurship, by creating county-based innovation hubs, providing seed money and other incentives for start-ups and SMEs, improving skills through training and exchange programmes with developed countries, among others.
