 Welcome back. It's that time for youth and politics. This morning we get to look at youth and leadership. We get things fast. In Kenya the youth in the age bracket of 15 and 35 years from about 35% of the country's population. With these escalating figure annually, they have been absorbed and viewed by the society as recipients and not participants and partners in national matters. There is therefore the urgency to give the youth an enabling environment to have meaningful participation in matters leadership. Today on youth and politics, we'll discuss matters to do with youth and leadership. And to help us discuss the topic in detail, I'm joined by a team of young people in the studio. And of course just to introduce them right next to me is Esther Irongo, who is a student leader at Africa Nazarene, holding the docket of social welfare Muranga County University Association Vice Chairperson. And just to make things right, 2022? Yeah, I will be the member of parliament to hire a constituency. Alright. Okay, so you're still aspiring for that? You're aspiring for that? Yeah, I'm aspiring for that. Alright, so that's our right next to him. We'll get to talk about that later. Right next to him is Robert Nyataige, who is the KCA University President. And also the coordinator of private universities, that is Pusak. Kani Pusana, Robert. Santizana. I don't know what to say, but I'll see what you'll call us there. Wow, see what you'll call us. Alright, so that's our guys. There's someone else who will be coming late to learn, probably just to join us. She's a bit late, but anyway we're still going to move on. So today's topic talks about youth and leadership. And guys, both of you in leadership. Yes. At the university levels, and some of you have seen you with Abbasindas and such kind of people all around. Let me ask, when we talk about youth and leadership, what do you understand with your staff? When we talk about youth and leadership, I believe where the youth are given opportunity to lead. Right. A good starting point. What do you think about youth and leadership? They use the most populated guys in the country, and they are the greatest assets that the country can have. Wow, amazing. That's the best way to begin. Now, with what you've just said, the opportunities and the like, have young people really been given opportunity to engage in governance and national and participate rather in national and decision making processes? According to my own opinion, as youth are not given the opportunity. This is because youth, the youth who are leading us, they are given a chance by connections and by favoritism. Like if you know someone, they are given opportunity to lead, of which you're not qualified. But just because that person knows you and maybe you want to lead the country, you will steal the money together. That's how you will be put there up. But actually, that is not good. All right. We thought I'm from there to ask a question to you as a child. We have young people who are in parliament today. Jago wa iro babu o wino. Do you think they've made any money chance they've been involved in national matters in terms of development? I don't think so. This is because you see most of this parliamentary, these members of parliament who are there, or they are politicians, who look at their backgrounds. We don't come from a very poor background. Maybe our father was that, yes, back those days, that's how you get that opportunity. But not someone who have come from a very poor humble background. All right. You mentioned something, Robert. Yes. About youths being assets. Yes. Do you think they've been absorbed in the country I don't think they have. Like currently the opportunity for the youth to participate in national matters in governance, there's totally no youth that have been involved. And right now as the economy is very bad, the youth have not participated in any political arenas, political institution. No way. All right. So according to you they have not been given the open space? No. In matters national? Yes. Does the government believe in young people? Esther? Not really. This is because if they believe in us, they have given us enough opportunities to be in those positions. Let's narrow down to these opportunities. Like for instance? For example the job opportunities, you will find out that those poor are working in the old. Right. Like we saw another day who was giving these old man the opportunities to hold the position of a youth whereas we have so many youths who are landed who have the skills but they are not given enough opportunities to lead. All right. So according to you they still have that opportunity gap? Yes. What do you think Robert? I also think that the youth have not been given any opportunities. Right now they have very many youths that don't have jobs. We have so many graduates, they still have no jobs. So according to you, we'll be talking anyway later on guys, we'll see there's one revolving question about unemployment but we'll be talking about that later on because it's an issue that is really escalating. Young people lacking creativity because I've seen this being mentioned out about lack of creativity amongst the young people. What do you think Robert? Now very many youths they have a lot of talent but now they don't have that platform too to showcase their talent. So they are lacking the opportunity? Yes, they lack the opportunity to showcase their talent. What do you think should be the best way in terms of showcasing your talent? Maybe the government should come up with the projects, maybe seminars to train youth. Of which some of them are running if we can talk about the KEYPA. I believe that some of you have looked deep into that. All right. One of our guests actually, the one who is a bit late is still here. You can join us please. She is a transformational coach. Karibusana. Many thanks for joining us. She's Angela Katoa. Karibusana. It's nice to have you. So we are talking about matters related to youth and leadership. I hope you'll get along the conversation. So I was asking about the issue of creativity and you guys are saying that creativity is there but opportunities to showcase your creativity is lacking. So what do you think? No one is going to comment on that. Even though I was creative, don't money, I can't do it. I want things like, I'm creative about the comedy part of it, taking pictures, but I need a camera to take those pictures. So in my own opinion, we should be given the loans, maybe we should grant some money but the government to showcase our talents in the creativity. All right. I'd like you to give Angela the mic. Karibusana. Thank you. It's nice to have you. Thank you. Apologies for that. So let's talk about you are transformational court. What's lacking in terms of youth and leadership in the country? Is it creativity, is it lack of opportunity or what is really happening? I think both the youth and the government has a part to play in this because there is a gap in the youth believing in themselves, first of all. They have all this talent, they have gifts, then they know they do but they don't have the they push, they don't have the self push to do these things and that is where now the biggest challenge is. So according to young people are not really aggressive? I wouldn't say they are not aggressive but probably they are not looking at the right places. Do you think we are looking at the right places? How so? I guess I'm looking at the right places. The opportunities which I'm lacking to showcase what I have inside me. Alright, Robert, I don't know what you think but are you still of the same opinion? Yeah, among the same opinion. What's your stand? My stand is the government should at least create venues, avenues for the youth to showcase their talents. They are so creative but they don't have that opportunity. They don't have that capability so the government should come in and support them. Do young people have the ability to perform? I think that's the question we should be asking. Yes, they have. Let's explain right. Where do you think we have the ability or rather what's some of the things that you think for sure we have as young people? Because one thing, I believe I can't be in campus for 4 years then someone tells me instead I don't have the ability to do what I've been trained to do for 4 years but even for 4, almost 8 for 4 how many years are those? Almost 16 years. I just need someone if given that job give me that job then they will be telling me instead I don't have ability when I'm there but they can't just say instead I don't have ability yet I'm not given opportunity to work. So for you one thing that must appears first of all the opportunity then ability will come in. What do you think Adila which comes first? I think what comes first is you know there is the school training and there is the real job training and it's quite different. What you find in the work market is very different from what is in the schools. Our youth and even the education system even for myself when I was in school we never came out prepared for what the out market is because it's totally different and there's a lot that they can do in terms of even accessing loans I had her talk about the government not giving loans We'll be looking in details about unemployment because that seems to be the most issue that is really moving around us but I also consider it primarily on the part of leadership when I was trying to look at some of the people that were really youthful in terms of aggressiveness they were really aggressive while still young I looked at him selling wudavadi who was a cabinet secretary back then actually a minister back then we never had the css he was a minister at the age of 29 who do you think in your own eyes grandad can perform as a cabinet secretary in terms of zero years or other let's say 1829 is there one who do you think Robert can perform? Okay for me I think there is someone who can perform like right now leaders for the campus leaders university leaders they are not recognized so I think that's that's why you find there are no youth in parliaments thank you for raising that concern it was back in the days when we had political movements primarily having young people let's talk about sabah sabah all these were young people movements what happened today are young people really aggressive let's have a start are young people really aggressive nowadays not really most of these are carried away by money they move on this money so if you start like a group and you have no money probably you won't go anywhere because you know these things need also you can't do anything without the funding money then most of the money go there up you won't be heard so when this movement when you look like for example you need someone like a patron someone you look up to you can just say I'm a leader and I'm looking I don't have that mental someone will guide me so if they end up dying and they are just forgotten but they will be swallowed by these big parties who might know if a gender person will give me this amount of money then I will benefit myself from this and this and this so let's put this clear young people are led by money yeah they are led by money how best can we render these because I understand that you are a student leader which everything begins at the university level for most young people how best can we deal with this issue the best thing is just employment everything just rotating employment because if for example if I want to start my own party definitely if I am working I won't be sold by this big fish because I know after all I have my own cash which I can work to get this alright and from that I want to bring in Angela are we lacking mentorship in terms of leadership in the country it is it's highly needed because when we talk about unemployment employment doesn't necessarily have to be you going to work for somebody else you can come up with your own employment employ yourself you come up with something that is going to earn you money it doesn't have to be I have to be employed by somebody but although the government needs the government has come up with some programs where they provide internships for the youth now they get the training after college but now they come out of university and they are hungry for money and they are not even ready to to spend it I see but let's take this do you think you are hungry for money let me tell you something you know you are not a student but you are my student and in terms of internship that's propaganda that's a lie there is no internships I am telling you people are suffering outside because you know like I have graduated I need to go for one year just for internship do you think my parents can be able to sponsor me for that one year for internship without money my mum knows when I am done with campus Esther you are done you just go, hustle then you are telling me Esther you won't even for one year without giving me a single cent I need to eat, I need to dress I need to do face you are not even giving me anything internship is not there it goes to things like Murangakawanti so you are not giving me a single chance to go and work for those offices alright let's bring in Robert this issue is becoming now an employment issue of which it was the last bit of this discussion but I want to ask do you think you are being given open spaces to venture into different fields for them to grow now first before I continue I would like to say that outside here we have very vibrant leaders and now they lack that support let's talk about national or university level leaders, leaders both yeah they lack that support for them too to maybe be in parliament they lack that advice totally there is no support yeah there is no mentorship right now so many leaders would wish to to participate in national politics but now they can't why? let's address that question why won't they venture into it now I think it's things a bit hard for you to join politics some believe you must be good in your pocket then you must be a very well known person yeah so I'm prompted to ask this question to you what's the price that you guys use in terms of electing leaders now there's a bill that was passed by I'm asking about now the university level that bill it proposes that the leaders are chosen through electoral college and like there before where leaders were chosen through ballots which I prefer it was the better one than this of these days because now you find someone is not vibrant but he has the money he has the cash he can influence the students maybe and get the position but now looking at the past you had to go and sell your manifesto yeah you have to have the majority behind you to vote for you but nowadays it's only like you choose 20 representatives to vote for you to become the chairman of the president which to me doesn't make sense at all you can't choose 20 students 20 delegates to represent the students over 10,000 to vote for you Angela what is failing is it the system that we have or is it as we talk before about mentorship what is really failing us it is the system we cannot blame the youth because when they are being nurtured in school it's not supposed to be just the education alone because there are life skills that they need to survive out there and these skills are supposed to be taught from primary school level that is why I think I give credit to the new CBC of which most of us did it for four yes and there is a lot of difference you see a child of maybe 10 years, 15 years already knows what they want to do and they are already nurturing themselves towards what they want to become in future but as we used to be it's a guesswork thing whatever comes I'd go with it let me bring in the issue of and the aspect of Urukengata the president he had a mentor yes that is president Moai former president to Moai and now he is the president now let's talk now about us as no more young people from the ground what is missing is it still the same aspect of mentorship or still system as you've said it's still the system mentorship also comes inside the system these life skills are supposed to be taught as a way of mentorship because now when you compare Urukengata with us we didn't go to the same schools yeah the kind of schools that he went to were quite different from what we what we knew out there we can say he may be probably I'm not sure but probably he didn't even do the 844 and even if he did it was on a different kind of level not the level that he did right, as a transformational coach and spiritual speaker do you think young people have been given an open space I think the current government is trying they have not yet reached there but they are trying to give them a space because they have a voice now although most of them are saying that they they are speaking yes but they are not being heard in fact they are being ignored so I think the government needs to do more in terms of listening to the youth and actualizing what they have put on paper right, let's talk to these young people Master, I think people being ignored and up to what extent yeah cause for example I like I'm a leader from Moranga County someone just in box me telling me it's time looking for this internship I'm looking for a job I'm looking for this so when I go to our leaders you call them they don't pick you text them they just blue take you then you ask them one of my senior they need to see you you know people are crying behind your back they don't understand by them they just go for trips they just go hangout they're forgetting as you're suffering you book appointment then you're like this week next week next week but one now you see now you give up so I guess as you're being ignored and in matters of leadership how best can young people really venture into it because unemployment still remains a menace of which we'll get to look at some of the statistics that have been given but before even look about that in terms of leadership what is failing and what is really working for us I understand you're still in part of leadership Yes in leadership the people are voting all the people are taking part electing their leaders they are then failing because they're giving a hundred bob just for today then they're forgetting for the rest of five years we never see that person again so if we elect people who have wisdom who knows what they are doing I guess we can go for but if you choose according to the amount of money that person has one you forget if someone gives a hundred bob when he or she goes when she or he gets that position we'll have to take like three years to return back the amount of money he has spent so I guess as you then were failing Right before I bring in robots Angela the issue of money let's talk about it in terms because that's still simply corruption in a very broad way still it is how best can young people really deal with this about the money Elections and the money thing I think the youth need to believe in their own and they need to believe in their voice and when a youth comes out to be voted for they need to know that this person can also perform and they don't most of the times they are lied to by these big people who have money and they are given small tips and then they give the vote but at the end of the day that is where now their voice now stops being heard because if she comes out and vies for a seat her community is supposed to support her her community in terms of the youth because if we rely on the elderly to vote for us it's not gonna work so we have to really believe in our own whether we have money or not there's a guy in Meru I can't remember who was voted for and he never had any money he just used to walk the age of 23 yeah walk house to house and he got the votes and even those who are vying they also need to have that energy nothing comes easy they don't say that I want this seat and you just sit down and expect people to vote for you you have to move you have to just do what it takes robot Angela is giving us more of an inspirational talk and I want us to get everything from the ground she mentioned something about grass root and support and all that stuff are young people really receiving grass root support? for me I don't think they are for me I believe leadership is truly leadership now for you to be elected for you to be a leader you must be self propelled you must know what you want what you will do for the people but now you find that the older leaders they are there manipulating there the small leaders they may have the cash who are the small leaders? now leaders in the youth alright thank you for being clear on that you find they have the cash they came from very well of families but now you find others they don't come from well families now they try to manipulate them definitely they can't go nowhere manipulation is still coming in so young people are being manipulated into it alright let's talk about the young people that we have in parliament we have Jagua, Babu and many others that have been elected we have quite a number of them if you can list are they performing? as for me I think not all of them but they are performing like I think Jagua there are some projects he has come up in his constituency and I think he is doing well and Babu so far I don't see any improvement he has done I don't see anything alright so why then should young people be given opportunity if they are not performing because that's the big question that every leader is asking do you think there is something missing in terms of impact? yeah for some leaders there is something that is missing once they get that position they go and then get relaxed isn't it about them? yeah I think it's just because of them they are vibrant and that's it but in terms of performance there is nothing alright that's all do you think? yes you know we can be vibrant it can be hard but you know a leader these types of leaders they have influence or something like that this is the leader who performs so I guess these leaders who talk and then just hard I guess they lack mentorship they just lack that mentorship because I guess for example if I believe I can mobilize people then I need that person who can help me think of which you do? of which I do I need that person to help me know your numbers so now they sit down this is what you are supposed to do for those people and just moving the crowd just need that mentorship to tell you if you get there this is what should be done this is what should not be done when you talk about being on the ground and having relating with the young people what's the one thing that is revolving around them? as personal as young people you don't need a lot of things just need to be hard just be there when I need you when we need you even though you don't give us that amount of money just be there for us just when you cry you just need to be hard there's a difference between being there for you and being given an opportunity to be there and hard which of between the two do you think we should have before? when you listen me you give me the opportunity because that's the moment you'll be able to understand this person can do better this person cannot perform this person cannot do this so I need to be hard first you need to just give me your time then from there you give me the opportunity if I'm worthy to be given that opportunity Angela what do you think? I think it's a call for just them being hard they need to be listened to even opportunities need to come up and I think even the government can come up with something like these private companies should be having spaces for the youth which the government did and it brought in let me just bring it on board there was the KEYP that was brought in by the government still talking about Ajiro digital let's talk about the Kenya private sectors the issue of as they mentioned about internship and the like have they not been given opportunities? there is opportunity but I would say both the stakeholders and the youth are also failing in some way the youth are not aggressive enough to go and look for those opportunities she might not agree with me because they are not aggressive but if you look at the bigger youth because I've dealt with youth for some time and if you look at the bigger number of the youth they are expecting things to come easy but things are not easy whether you're young, whether you're old they have to get out there and get them because nobody is going to create it for you nobody is going to create the space you want to respond to that? the government came up with the KEYP for internships and employment opportunities but as for me I think there is no equal opportunity chances for the public and private like for example public and private universities you find that most students from the public universities get the internships but when you come to private none so here we are talking about I understand also that you are the leader of national coordinator of the private universities why then would I understand that we don't have HR probably we would have asked this better question towards the person how best do you think we can resolve this issue because the issue of private and public institutions should not be a question about internship how best can we resolve this? for me I think the government should come up with maybe more institutions or corporations for the youth for internship programs not just they should be many that which can accommodate very many youth have we really been accommodated as well? personally I don't think so because people are saying that internship opportunities but there isn't not for you to be given that internship there must be someone who have to be maybe fired or someone who have to be in to be unemployed for you to be given that opportunities so like for example these internship things in some organization I'm sure you don't know they ask for money for you to be given that opportunity for internship whereas this thing should be free actually it should be paid 15,000 for one year but this youth are not being paid so you get these internship things is not working you know they said and they just went they should follow is it really happening? I don't like in my county I'm not ashamed to say so even in those offices there is no internship yesterday you have graduated then we go to the office they tell you there is no chance what will you do? what is happening on the ground because you have been interacting with these young people you have engaged with them having talks what do they have to say? I think there is something called self-awareness that is very important and self-awareness is about knowing what is available for you who you are and what is there for you what you can get in touch with what you can access and if you know that because we keep on singing about the government and it's not performing it's not delivering whose responsibility is it? it is the government it's the leaders so if I am a youth and I'm looking for opportunities and they are not coming by I should not just sit down and wait for those opportunities because now that is where self-awareness comes from you know this is not available for me and even if it is I will have to really work maybe in different ways to get it or extremely hard so you have to create your own opportunities this is where now entrepreneurship comes in and we have opportunities for accessing these funds even if it's not much you can start a business with nothing even if you don't access the money it's a question that can make young people stone you right now because when you're talking about young people and being creative I ask that question when we began what is missing because creativity seems to be everyone's topic and I remember one time a Tanzanian MP said that let's not just telling people to be creative because even for them telling them to create job opportunities let's be open some of the job opportunities that have been there have been crushed down by the source called Big Fish Ya, that is true and I don't speak like that because I'm just preaching it is true you can start a business with nothing because us who have been there I've been trying so many things and giving like an example of myself I've done so many things and at the end of the day even now when I'm already growing old now I've restarted life afresh with nothing so they need to learn from those who have ventured and have not made it and they still had to now start from scratch right, alright, alright guys I want us to take a little bit of kink and talk about right now when you look at the political field there's a gap that has been noticed between the old and new generation of leaders I don't know, let me begin with you Angela before even I get to give them an opportunity how best can we bridge this gap between the old and new generation of leaders we need to empower our youths they need to be in the last space where they believe in themselves they can manage to even lead even the older people we need to empower them we need to keep on empowering them it's not just the government it's everybody's responsibility because the youth are tomorrow's leaders and they are the ones who are going to lead us tomorrow if I do not mentor her or any other youth who is around me I think it should be everybody's responsibility who is up there to just mentor who is close to them as you respond to the question of how best we can bridge the gap between the old and new leadership as young people are we tomorrow's future leaders or are we today's leaders let me begin with Robert we are the future leaders how best can we resolve the gap in between the old and new generation now for us to bridge the gap between the old leaders and the new millennium leaders I think first of all we have to acknowledge that we have old leaders and we have new millennium leaders now what is supposed to be done it doesn't mean that the old leaders are more well in leadership than the new leaders now for us to bridge the gap for us to bridge the gap between the old and the new first of all let's acknowledge in parliament we have the old leaders and we have the young generation leaders so first of all we need to understand each other learn from each other alright we need to know where the problem is so as we can solve the problem that's what exactly you are saying alright Asta personally I think we need to speak in one language like one language means if whatever I'm talking the old person should understand he or she and whatever that old person is talking I should also understand alright I love that because of time we have to wind up because I want to give each and everyone of you a minute but actually what to do with the one minute that I give you but looking at the statistics that we have had we have had quite a series of statistics about unemployment and the like you know hearing 39% hearing 11, hearing 9.3 and all these kinds of statistics how best can we resolve unemployment youth unemployment I think everyone has a part to play mostly the government and the youth themselves it's not just the government alone that is supposed to be putting in spaces out there for the youth because there are some people who will never be employed and even now we have big leaders great people who have never been employed and they are doing great things so we need to empower these young people to believe that I can start my own small thing and it can grow into a big thing and they need to believe in humble beginnings and know that you do not have to start big to win you can start small and still win awesome awesome because of time guys we may not manage to respond to that question but I want to give each and every a minute I'll begin with you Robert and both of you students and as young leaders of today I'd like you to address the government what are some of the things that you'd like the government to address for me I would like the government to address the issue about unemployment the issue of corruption and I think those are the first to think the government should look at those are actually one of some of the things that I noted down employment corruption let's go to Aster just a minute for me what I would like the government to look at these camera and address directly to the government I would like one is employment second internship third corruption those are the three things we should do for us alright I'd like you to address the young people in a broad perspective I would wish that the young people believe in who they are believe in their strength and they need to differentiate what they have learned in school and the reality of the market we don't want to crash down education and say that it's not important but we want to say that it is just a face of your life and you need to know that this is a different face now that you're approaching it calls for too much work more than what you did in school and it calls for so much broadness even enlightening yourself education does not stop in the school it continues even much more when you're out there and there are so many forums that you can learn the youth need to just be out there and be open to new learning sessions because there are so many even free sessions that are being offered by mentors and when you see the attendance you get that very few youth are attending infact you find there was this attending so that they go and teach the young ones instead of the young ones being the ones to take the front row and learn so they need to have that initiative to learn alright many thanks for making time to generous for youth and politics well that's it from us over here and it has been such an amazing time of course to have you interacting with us and of course engaging with us but as we wind up I'd like just to give a quote I'd borrow it from a young man or rather a man called Bono this is what he says this is the time for bold measures this is the country and we are the generation if we need change then we must be aggressive take up a position and move forward my name is Karanja Alex let's be nice to have you for youth and politics well Val is coming up next don't go anywhere this is why 254