The Youths need support and not Social Ridicule

Who is a youth ? According to article 260 of the Kenyan Constitution , a youth as a person aged between 18 and 34 years. United Nations defines a youth as anyone between the of 15 and 24 years. The African youth charter describes a youth as a person between the age of 18 and 35 years.

The Kenyan population as per the 2019 census was 47.6 million of which the youth constitute 75.1% of it. Youths are the future . For a strong building you need a good foundation. Therefore we need to educate and prepare the youths for their future roles as leaders , parents and workers.

Youths cover three quarters of the Kenyan population but are still considered as a marginalised group. The new constitution created an opportunity for marginalised groups by creating a youth representative seat , a woman representative seat and a persons with disability seat. Each county has now the opportunity to elect a youth representative to air out youth problems to the government.

Africans always had the notion that ,children should be seen not heard. This may be the reason why a majority of African leaders are elderly. Is it that the youth are unable to lead? Is it that the youth are afraid of the responsibility that comes with leadership? Africa is considered a young continent yet its still headed by elders.

‘Connections muhimu’ is a phrase very common among the youth these days. A youth who is well connected and known makes it in life . Apparently for a youth you need connections to excel in your academics , get into a relationship and even get a good job.

Employers only seek to employ someone who is educated and has years of experience. How is it possible for a youth who just graduated and is now in the job hunting world to actually have the years of experience if no one is willing to employ them. Should we start embracing the western way ; study as you work from the early age of 16 .

Youth Empowerment Initiatives are put there by the government to empower the youths in Kenya . ‘Kazi kwa vijana’ is an example of a program placed by the Kenyan government in 2020 to help them cope with the pandemic. Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) was mandated by the government to provide training and internship aimed at providing the selected youth relevant work experience and skills through training in formal and informal work places .

As much as the youths are many the number of deaths among the youth is also very high. Will there be a better tomorrow if we keep on loosing youths. Suicide is the forth leading cause of death for ages 15 and 25 , according to World Health Organisation (WHO) . In African homes children are never openly talked to by their parents or elders. “You will understand someday,” is a common phrase used by parents and elders.

What makes the youth result into suicide? Psychological disorders such as depression , bipolar among others are leading causes of suicidal deaths among the youth. A youth is considered a child and therefore they are not expected to suffer psychological traumas. ‘You are just a kid ‘ is yet another common phrase. ‘ You have no kids ,no actual responsibilities that could stress you ? Society forgets that there is actually a lot of pressure on the youth. As a youth you are expected to perform remarkably in school, be the pride and joy of your family, have a goal set and work hard to achieve it and be the next leaders and responsible parents. All these while still trying hard to have a personal life of your own with relationship drama and peer pressure battles.

Lack of emotional and moral support is also a cause of suicide among the youth. A proper support network is what encourages a person to face every day courageously. Yet the youth face physical , emotional and sexual abuse threats almost everyday. Cases of a young person who was brutally beaten or a young girl or guy being raped are becoming very common today. How do we plan for a brighter future if the present id still dark? What are the future leaders and Employers and Employees learning from those in power? Is it that positive really.

Do we keep degrading the youth and neglecting their thoughts. With the changes and improvement in technology the youth have become more engaged in decision making than before. Its about time the youth take an initiative into claiming leadership positions since they already cover 75% of the population it should not be hard.