Saturday, October 24, 2009

Youth Voices and Actions on the Reform Agenda

The youth of Kenya, uniting under the leadership of the following organizations namely; The Youth Agenda (YAA), Nyanza Youth Coalition, Kenya Muslim Youth Alliance (KMYA), Kenyan Network of Grassroots Organizations (KENGO), Coast Education Centre (COEC), and Citizens Assembly meet in Nairobi beginning October 24, 2009 to discuss the pressing issues surrounding the reform agenda. 

Taking cognizance of the fact that Kenya has a large, ever growing, educated, and yet increasingly frustrated youth population; and acknowledging that the unprecedented violence sparked off by the dispute over results of the 2007 presidential election brought a new focus on the large number of dissatisfied youths, a section of youth leaders was prompted to come together upon realizing that there is an urgent need to sensitize and mobilize young people towards a reconstruction of their country by constructively getting them involved in taking control of their political, social and economic welfare through a creative and strategic engagement in the reform process. 

It is in view of the foregoing that the youth leaders have mobilized young people to a national conference in Nairobi to enable them add their voices to, and take both personal and collective responsibility in demanding the implementation of  fundamental reforms as stipulated in the National Accord.

In demanding the implementation of the National Accord, the leaders also seek to marshal the youth behind resisting manipulation and plunder of public resources by the ruling elite and instead deploy their numbers, energy, courage and devotion to actively demand for transparency and accountability, and advocate for an end to the pervasive culture of impunity, corruption and violence.

A pre-conference workshop will evaluate the current state of affairs in the country in order to facilitate a comprehensive briefing of participants to be drawn from all constituencies of the Republic of Kenya who will be attending the National Conference scheduled for November 17, 2009.

Signed on behalf of the youth organizations by;
Hassan Ole Naado
Member, Steering Committee

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