Young people should make constitution work for them
On August 27, Kenya marked a decade since the promulgation of the 2010 constitution.
What you need to know:
- It is considered one of the most progressive in the world and brought so much hope to Kenyans.
- But 10 years later, what do the youth have to show for it?
- On hunger, 14.5 million Kenyans are food insecure.
- Let us come out and show the government what they should have done a long time ago.
On August 27, Kenya marked a decade since the promulgation of the 2010 constitution. It is considered one of the most progressive in the world and brought so much hope to Kenyans. But 10 years later, what do the youth have to show for it?
Young people have continued to suffer, especially on healthcare, housing, food, water, social security and education. Article 43(1) clearly stipulates that every person has the right to the highest attainable standard of health and accessible and adequate housing; to be free from hunger and to have adequate food of acceptable quality; to clean and safe water; to social security and to education.
What the youth have been served is the opposite. Only 12 per cent of health facilities are youth friendly, with mental illness proving to be a major point of concern.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), 1,408 people, the majority youth aged 15-29 years, commit suicide every year in Kenya. This translates to roughly four people per day.
Youths and children have been denied access to decent housing, with two million currently being homeless. Only two per cent of the formally constructed houses target lower income families.
Food insecure
On hunger, 14.5 million Kenyans are food insecure. Children are the most vulnerable with 29 percent in rural areas and 20 percent in cities having stunted growth. It is time politicians implemented the constitution, including Chapter 6 on leadership and integrity.
Let us come out and show the government what they should have done a long time ago.
It is a shame that 10 years down the line, young people don't know the contents of our amazing constitution.
We need to remind them that sovereign power belongs to the people and that the constitution is the supreme law of the land.
It is high time the youth stood up and fought for the dignity of the nation. They will manage it if they know their rights as enshrined in the constitution.
Joe Luchiri, 18, is a Form 4 student at Kakamega School, Kakamega County.
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