 Good morning! Thank you for keeping it white in the morning only on Channel White 5 for again my humble apologies. It's just I got rained on over the weekend and I'm struggling a little bit but please do bear with me. I will do my utmost best to do this very very well or as best as I can. Now a couple of things has happened over the weekend including but not limited to the calf games have been ongoing and I watched two games on Friday night I think that was Transania and Uganda and Nigeria and New Guinea if I'm not wrong I think the Nigeria New Guinea one was a lot faster than the Uganda Tanzania one if you know what I mean by faster and slower yes anyway that's neither here nor there we are now on youth and politics and as a member of the fourth estate we are going to keep this as balanced as possible without fear or favor let's get into it so I'm not even introduced myself have I my name is Valentine or at Colomibar seats I'm very very excited about today's conversation let me allow my panelists to also say something good morning gentlemen good morning how are you fine I sound like a frog but you you'll do more the talking for me right okay all right please introduce yourself to the people thank you and my name is Ivanskip Quaril Serem born and brought up in Kericho the slopes of Rifty valley and I'm the chairperson of Kericho students Kericho University Students Association and also a student leader at Kabarak University I'm privileged to be here wow you're quite impressive thank you all right answer once again good morning don't once again you have just entered the scene that one was behind the tent good morning everyone I'm from the Rifty valley institute of science and technology the student president of the year 2023 Rvc is a major school best in performance and best in discipline I come from Rifty valley that is wasing issue county so you got C20 and keeps on the world it is a pleasure to be today live in the Y254 thank you so much no thank you for making an appearance so before we move forward this is the actually the topic is the state of the nation so we're trying to understand what is happening and also leading very heavily on the youth because it's youth and politics so when we started the show my counterpart Stephanie Etta asked me and Brian Sakwam how our weekend was and I told him I was a bit more social so I've been talking to people on the ground and then like oh what are you doing on Monday I'm like I'm working you what are you doing like you're working on a Monday you're sure yeah so how is the ground to you what what are the youth saying about now currently Monday and now Thursday has been offered up also as another day to subsequently have these protests maybe you can start thank you as of now the nation is mixed up of course you know we have something this is the way to go and something this is not the way to go we must air our views through throwing stones and the rest are saying no that's a dark past we shall not air our views through throwing stones but as we speak today I can see the nation is more of calm even as I drove in earlier this morning the nation was calm and the youth everywhere some have gone to their side assaults some class some schools and only a few are in the streets but it's a smaller percentage not that bigger percentage yeah how do you feel that the ground is right now personally at my own level I feel from my ground the country is at peace why should I say so this is not affecting the whole country it is majorly a few regions and personally from where I come that is Nakuru and even elderly it is just calm youths are engaging just as normal so I can say this is just affecting some parts of the country and if you compare the first reaction to this of today there's a little bit better men the first one was a bit worse but this one I see I think it has come to common sense that people must just work people must just go for their work people must just hustle so because this they see as a wasting of time and in no longer there will be no any return so personally I see the country is just moving on well except a few parts do you think what is happening in the nation right now is is tearing us apart as youths because you have one side actually the azimuth leader Reilo Diga had penned a late night letter that was yesterday dated yesterday for today and he alleged a couple he alleged a couple of things and one being that rowdy youth have been recruited to make seamlessly with azimuth supporters to cause chaos and he pointed western and yanza and Nairobi but on the flip side where the government is concerned inspector general jeffet koome said the said protests have been banned and this is country wide and he was very insistent on that there's the most of security officers to ensure safety for all which is definitely something I saw when I was coming to work today I saw there was a lot of a lot more increased security in wherever I was passing through so I can only imagine this is translating to the rest of the country as well do you think it's tearing us apart that as a youth am I supposed to listen to this person or this person am I supposed to follow the rule of law do I even have a choice because you know no one is above the law what do you think it's doing to us as youths on the issue of the youths being thrown apart I view it as this more and more thing is some sort of jeopardizing our unity as youths because you will find there are some youths who are on the flip side of the of the page and you will find there are some on this side but lucky enough the youth of the 21st century they cannot be thrown apart by such things because when you are youth and possibly let me say more so comrade because those are the people I interact with them much of my time yes some may go to maanda mano and some will not go but once they come back in the evening after those events they are one thing they are one united as one and they will not accept at any point such maanda manos to tear them apart but in as much as we are agitating for the unity of our nation the youth should desist because there are better ways of airing views and conflicts in this much as the constitution recognizes a demonstration peaceful demonstration sorry and picketing the youths involved in that in those peaceful demonstration should take part in the peaceful demonstrations and not let them not jeopardize their unity with the rest of the youths because at the end we shall be one youth and one kenya yeah all right I want to ask you the same question but now backing it up with what I am seeing here on the people this is the front page of the people daily so we have a fresh storm over rila mass action so police warned they will arrest organizers as rila and karua dare them to make good the threat kindiki that is kithore kindiki one's opposition will be surcharged for damage to property then ruto leaves for germany but not kenya says he will still be held responsible so you have two pictures they're backed back or side to side rather than one of them is as merely derela dinga addresses a church service at jesus teaching ministry in iroby yesterday when he said the weekly protest to pile pressure on government over high cost of living and electoral justice are still on despite police warning and then as if irony is not enough then on the side is inspector general police jaffeth koome and Nairobi regional police commander a dimson gay during yesterday's press conference at police headquarters in Nairobi during which the ig banned today's azimio protests what is this message sending to the youth personally I don't believe in demonstration oh really I believe in dialogue demonstration is a thing of the past secondly demonstration is a waste of time so having the youth going to the streets demonstrating at the end of the day they come back without even a 50 shelling that one is and totally no achieving so on the side of having demonstrations in our country like we are leading very many number of comrades I can imagine all those comrades from different universities different institutions joining in a in a demonstration at the end of the day learning will have gone behind at the end of the day one will be in gate injured we start again having some expenses and why should I say I believe in dialogue personally demonstrations to me is something like not clean it is a clean thing and having our country like having some people saying we need to go for a demonstration just because the cost of living has gone high we need to ask ourselves where did the cost of living started started yeah that is we must go back to the roots because it did not started now that means there was some mess in the past leaders so we cannot come now and say the cost of living has gone high it started somewhere so we need to go back and try to check what can we eliminate which number of our leaders in the serving in our country if for example you have very many of them we can have some seats being sacrificed so that we avoid much payment much wasting of resources yeah so demonstration to me is a thing of the past I don't encourage in any institution any university because I believe in demonstration not even 90% can be solved so dialogue is always the best thing I could have encouraged our leaders to have a dialogue like let us agree here why is the cost of living high let us pull it down because at the end of the day you saw our even in fact we have one of our student who was injured is a comrade by a bullet we have other several one inch so at the end of the day this there's nothing they will achieve so what I encourage always is dialogue wherever in our country whatever in an institution like for example the institution I come from I can encourage comrades to do a strike or to run up carrying twigs and causing chaos in the school it is I normally encourage dialogue what is the problem let us say this and this and I believe when there is a dialogue and an agreement everything will go on smoothly so for our country I feel so unfortunate for demonstration because it is rampant it is bringing it is bringing down our transport system wasting our time yeah so we just need to go back to the drawing board where did the cost of living started rising that is the question you look like you have something to tell me you want to say something on the side talk to me I want to echo what my brother said there are better ways of solving conflict and if we have really opted for demonstration let it be peaceful and I want to call upon each and every youth who might be involved in today's demonstration or next week demonstrations or any other coming demonstration if really you must be involved in that demonstration which we really which I really do not believe in it just make it peaceful and avoid the uncut nature the trunk of stones make it peaceful because the constitution calls for it yeah to add on something yes please yes please demonstrations to me is a thing that is just not good why should I say so this is because we have seen our youths we know that in the current world the youths are the majority and the youths are the most confused when it comes to a time of being influenced why should I say being influenced like saying let me give you a credit of 50 then you do this so they will do it at the end of the day they will come and regret I was given a credit of 50 shillings but at the end of the day I have spoiled things I've got injured myself like for example if you are given a hundred shillings to do a demonstration now and you come back being shot with a bullet what will be the cost of your treatment so personally I encourage youths not to participate in such activities we just need a dialogue like in our country I can encourage like we have our women rep they can speak for the women we have our MPs they can speak also for the male side yeah we have the youth representatives in our country booked from even counties and regionals they can agitate issues that are favoring the youth like for example now what can lead to a demonstration in youths like for example the students now who we call ourselves in quotes comrades like when there is an issue maybe delayed help you see that one is what can agitate for some demonstration but when there is a dialogue or the help delayed just because of this and this but it is going to come they will be free and they will feel there's something coming so I just believe in talking and dialogue dialogue and agreement that is the best solution of a disagreement okay what I'm hearing is you feel like we are short changing ourselves we are doing the most for very very little and possibly insignificant yes let me add something that you know politics is about interest even the you remember the disciples told Jesus when he picked them at the when they were fishing he told them the disciples told Jesus now we are leaving our nets what is in it for us so even these people were demonstrating and especially the youths they are doing it not because they are being pushed or what they are doing so because they know at the end of it there is something for us and even the leaders who are leading the this whole hula baloo they are doing it with an aim of something because as I have said earlier politics is about interests and somebody is saying how will I get this thing how will I get to this position I must go this way some I must go the other way yeah all right let me just ask you one of the demands of the opposition is the reduction of the high cost of living but do you think it ties in very neatly into unemployment because who is going out on the streets and a couple of Mondays ago we had very alarming statistics on set the tune of 10.1 million people in the country not employed and 2.5 million actively hunting actively job hunting are these the people who are being targeted or being influenced as we are trying to say or suggest as that now it's true the cost of living is high and it's good for the opposition to rise up and say the cost of living is high and on the other side again we have seen the government trying doing all what it takes to bring down the cost of living and based on research and the several things the president has been doing we can see it's promising but again on the other side you know I'm a human being and when you tell me wait for six months what will I eat what will I be doing so there is a lot of startup in our in our nation at the moment you have each and everyone pulling on their side and none of them is doing wrong I can say so in as much as the affairs of the nation is guaranteed because each and everyone both leaders from the other side and this side all of them are representing the interests of Kenyans but again we must view it in a certain perspective as a nation where are we heading to is it really promising is the cost of living going to come down as we are being told and on the other side again if they do picketing and demonstration they demonstrate today will the cost of living come down it's a very good question that's the question we must ask ourselves today and in any case it is said each and every citizen should take part in their democratic right of electing their leaders and I believe the millions of Kenyans who came out to exercise their rights to elect their leaders they all had a view if you remember both candidates were nearly the same like we had seven million seven million seven million six point eight million those are all Kenyans who had a view of if we elect this person you will represent our interests and today the vast majority of them some are shocked that the cost of living has not yet come down and some are not shocked they are saying indeed this government is promising do you get the point so today the question I'm asking if we do demonstration will the cost of living come down and again on the other side if the opposition does not put in thoughts the government will the government do what it takes to bring down the cost of living so that's the question we must ask ourselves the two questions if the opposition does not stop the does not stop demonstration will the government take up its role in taking care of Kenyans and indeed the opposition is very good it keeps on those on the government yeah so we're saying one faculty depends on the other yeah we are interdependent a little bit yeah okay right can I just tie it before I could see you have something to say I just want to tie another question and he said something very significant and I believe you also mentioned it that the cost of living did not magically rise after the previous elections that we had and I believe that we understand when COVID-19 struck it it affected the whole world it was a global pandemic and no government was prepared for it no one had contingency plans on how to you know support itself during this time we had to cut each other off for the longest time no traveling that means no exports no imports and it was just just a very hard time to be quite honest very very terrible time and now we're seeing the effects the ripple effects all the way up till 2023 yes and and we can't really pinpoint and say this government or this this person did this in this particular sector this cabinet's actually did this this member of parliament this one in charge of this did this but we can see it has been a wave is it possible maybe as Kenyans we open our minds to see we're not the only one suffering I like to believe every house has its own problems as Kenyans we have our problems but have you gone to the United States and seen the economy they're also complaining by the way they're also complaining and as they're complaining Europe is looking at them looking eh you think you're complaining our inflation is at its absolute worst so why do we feel like it's such such a pressing matter we must take to the streets why can't we maybe perhaps look at how other people are handling it in their particular areas before we start protests okay Val for your information you've brought a good idea what I had in my mind so to solve a problem or to solve the cost of living you cannot just wake up as a president or as a leader and announce that today's sugar is at 50 shillings it needs a long-term solution what do I mean by long-term solution that my child will not come and get the same sugar 200 shillings now so a long-term solution for example now we need to generate our own things because as I've been viewing over the last month the cost of living in our country has gone high because of the exchange of currents that one is a factor we tend to import a lot of things that is a factor why can't we encourage our youths who are learning the institutions we come up with our own resources we come up with our own things that we can run ourselves that is when the cost of living for your information value come down and we need you know I've said you cannot just wake up and announce that everything is now at a flat rate you see we have depths that they were borrowed in the last regime how do we do to pay the debt so we need long-term solutions an example of a long-term solution is avoiding the depths that we clear with the past other than adding the depths in our country number two we can measure in agriculture our country is based in agriculture we can really measure and we shall get a lot of income through agriculture like for example now we cannot complain the cost of living is high we have people who are suffering they don't have food it is not the cost of living cost of living that has affected them it is they don't have so we need to balance these two things as a country we need to manufacture our own things like for example now fertilizer is something we can manufacture in our country with the resources enough we can do it we encourage investors in our country because like now to say why is the country crying of high cost of living we are really working hard on paying the debts for the last several years and there in billions and if I put a question to you now if you have a debt somewhere and then you go borrowing another debt will you be sure that you'll ever settle you'll not definitely not settle for you to settle is paying and clearing all the last debts yeah so that you can start now calculating on what you have in your pocket or in your hand so that is the best idea to me actually the previous interview were being told a financial liberation is actually first removing yourself from debt and then now moving on swiftly and thinking about investment savings while all the while managing yourself as a person now as we wind up I don't know why time flies when we have wonderful conversations I want to talk about the most recent parliamentary proceedings never a dull day in Kenya never a dull day in Kenya so we have and I'll start once again from the youth inclination we have one at Joyce Osogo this is a woman rep for Homo Bay otherwise known as Ben Souda my voice was to go and she came to represent women and youths whereas far as closing businesses was concerned no one was asked to close their business because you know the vice president asked all the businesses to remain open and you know businesses to remain as usual but the ripple effect was people did close some of their businesses I don't know if it was for fear of being looted or something else so and she also said that the protests were intended to be peaceful but the presence of now police with now the tear gas and all these things changed the fact do you agree that they stopped being peaceful because of the presence of all these things I don't agree you know Val first let me begin by saying youth place an integral path in our society and there have been some people gargaging the youth leadership and saying oh you know the youth does not have that experience needed they do not have the so on and so forth but I want to tell you this in as much as the youth may not have that experience needed they bring in fresh ideas fresh minds to the table and on the issue of the trend of tear gas to the youths during mandamano it cannot begin you cannot see a police police force coming if you don't use force by yourself when when doing demonstration you know this just like action and reaction you throw a stone as a policeman I must take care of myself I must also draw tear gas so that I can disperse you you know you cannot threaten the life of police to be in danger when you throw him a stone and he just sees you like that like that but I believe if this all idea of demonstrations would have been peaceful no throwing of stones no burning of tires on the roads I don't think there would have been police I really doubt if there could have been police but now tell me a person has come with a sack to your shop and reads it I mean surely we are human you will do nothing about that and you will indeed require a police force and I had some youths cracking a joke and saying oh you know tomorrow is Monday I'll be near Naivas with a sack but you see that's a the whole idea of this is that youths space in our society they want to showcase themselves you see we are the ones there but if you do that you will not stop a police from defending the honest property yeah all right and what you think of the same if you're just joining us by the way we are on the recent parliamentary proceedings where we had the woman rep for Harma Bay that is Ben Suda where she claimed that the protests were intended to be peaceful but the presence of the police now throwing tear gas and all these things changed that fact and she even went ahead to say well she was walking to show a war white first of all I think to signify peace and then she moved from this point to she I think she mentioned Kibra as well she mentioned various other places do you in fact believe that her statement is correct not something before sorry that's okay before we get to him before you know Val sometimes we cannot pretend to be visitors in Jerusalem because I'm sure let's have a honest discussion you've seen somebody throwing a stone to a policeman will that policeman keep quiet will he stop from firing his bullet you see that's the discussion we must have yeah thank you for your information Val it is very incorrect for a leader or a person in quotes of a leader to say that the presence of a police is the course of insecurity that is very wrong that person does not understand the law that person does not understand the workforce of the police because I believe in this whenever there is a danger even now the first person you'll run here to protect you is the police so what should I say also also our police are trained and I believe they're not trained to be goods they're not trained to be hooligans they are civilized they are civilized persons who are trained they know what they are doing then I go I go for this reason now we have our an inch let me put in quotes one inch they have come for a privilege in the demonstration they have not really come to demonstrate about the cost of living many have come to loot many have come to cause chaos because if you find somebody carrying a whole billboard carrying a whole sign a road sign what is it a demonstration how shall we end this ramp demonstration in our country because I believe in civilized countries outside there that demonstration is very peaceful and very unique there are only much of the streets singing but you'll never find them uprooting or removing items with which there are privileges which they were put there under their tax so in Kenya we have a problem we need to train and moreover it affects our youths our youths need to be trained need to be encouraged to go to education that is to go for education because a person who is educated you'll not find him in the streets for example take a percentage of those people who are demonstrating there and do the calculation of those who are learning you'll find those who are not going to school they are the majority or they are the forefront why they don't have in mind that destroying something or pulling out something that could be a privilege for them burning road tires on the road that only waste our transport system where you can have generated a lot of income for example if you close now these are our our super high express high for even some one hour or two hours what impact will later of course in terms of economy a major one people had to close their shops because they don't trust their our uncivilized people so we need to be civilized we need to be learned if I can use example for my case I'm in school I'm in college I'm educated for me to go to the streets and pull out things that is not the best way you better even stop eating for your side that I'm demonstrating because the Oonga is high so I'll not eat this Oonga let it stay until it comes down that is the best way but you cannot go you are saying I'm demonstrating because of the cost of living is high yet you are looting the Oonga from your friend that is not the right way for our country we need to be civilized we need to if I know demonstration is part and parcel of us it is even allowed but a peaceful one okay the one that can involve you in marching to the parliament just without destroying anything without causing harm to your neighbor without causing havoc without causing tension so our police are very okay in terms of security they come and even guard us and protect us and protect even the resources that we have so for a person to say that the presence of the police is in security I bet that person has not even learned in this country all right so now as we conclude I want to touch on the I want to say the most comical part of the parliamentary proceedings which is the exchange between Kimani Oonga and Mili Odi Ambo but this is more Mili Odi Ambo speaking before Kimani Oonga had a time to rebut so I don't I don't really know how to explain it to you if you haven't watched the video but basically she was she was a dress addressing Kimani Oonga on the fact that he keeps bringing out the former president's name and accusing him of things or you know as as the story is going so Mili Odi Ambo just went ahead and said that you should maybe tell us if you're part of the LGBTQ plus community because of the way you are so perpetuated on this particular person just help us understand is this why you so my question is is it a joke now is it a joke in parliament now and meanwhile the youths on the ground are really getting hurt and are really running or you know doing all sorts of things is it now a joke where it's supposed to be quite serious in parliament what's happening there in as much as we respect the two leaders Mili Odi Ambo and Kimani Oonga both of them are two legislators who can articulate their issues very well and when they go to the house and start throwing tantrums on each other that to some extent is a disgrace to the youths you know each one of them is trying to outsmart the other we know Kimani Oonga may be bitter about Uru Kenyatta the former president and Mili Odi Ambo may be defending the former president Uru Kenyatta which actually is accepted in our democracy of speech but the youth outside they are saying when you take a space in that parliament never even at a given point was the chance try to articulate the issues of youths try to use that platform and say the help has been laid try to use that platform and say comrades are dying of hunger try to use that platform and say the university school fees have been raised in nearly all the universities in Kenya and in these coming few weeks we might see a spike so the youth to some extent may be bitter about them there are some youths who will not understand that each of them was trying to pull on their side to protect their leader but at the moment the youth are suffering out there and even the comrades of Kericho county in all the universities with which I represent they are very bitter they are saying they need the money and these legislatures whom we respect them very much should use that platform to air out the views and issues of comrades in that parliament in as much as we have youthful leaders in the house we say again they are not enough we want in the next coming elections we want majority of youths to flood that house and most people will be in for a route ship because the nation we are moving forward it's going to be a youthful nation in as much as there are very many barriers that may be hindering the youth you might have societal norms you are being told or you are not married can you marry fast before running for a seat you may not have that political godfather you may not have resources but in these coming days you will see the youths flooding the parliament and they will air their views right thank you very much thank you and you sir val on my side uh I think life skills and communication skills should be brought back to our country irregardless of the position you are why should I say so people are no longer intolerant of one another nowadays just because they are missing something I speaking of those legislators legislatures now representing us in the parliament going to a side of being a chaotic or causing some fight I call it a fight that quarrel and yet it is on a live tv children our children are watching youth are watching our parents are watching so that means there is no more tolerance among ourselves we need to return life skills we need to return communication skills because I may end up speaking something and you get it in another version and you end up talking on me in a high temper you see so the temperament and I normally say this when there is a no humbleness in a person that is where the quarrel and fighting will start but if two are quarreling and one is humble definitely it will end there so for example having our legislators there fighting in that manner I call it that is a competition who is greater who is if I can put in that language of comrades like I would not mean no we need our legislatures to be tolerant to one another we need them to speak to one another why should they be called or why she that's why I'm saying they return communication skill first because I'm supposed here on the ground to respect you but if you are uttering words that does not have respect in any manner I'll end up even calling you by your name I'll not start even by you see and moreover we continue with this that is always the start of violence and start off like things you see now as demonstrations but if there is dialogue if there is humbleness between our leaders if there is a good way of like exchanging not even exchanging exchanging is a bad word like sharing an idea you see there will be no any quarrel there will be no you can see in some parliaments there was some fight you see and that is very unfortunate what is it showing us we the coming leaders but I want to say this also I think it is because the youth we have become many in the world therefore like you see we occupy many offices we are now the majority in parliament so like we are you know the youths are fond of we are active okay so I can say that is just the effects of us youth so as like for example I'm a leader in my own institution I need to be trained to be humble I need to be trained to communicate well and to add on that and if I can say if I was the president I think I will impose a rule on any vulgar person that speaks vulgar and he's called by the word moishimio you get a suspension why in institution we go for suspension for speaking vulgar like for example I'm the president in harvest I can't go to the administration and start like mr. prince for you are so stupid if there is nothing you tell me I'll get a suspension definitely that one should be introduced in our parliaments whenever you speak of a word that is not right should be sent home for some few months you miss the salary and a person will come back a real leader will come back very humble but a rude one will come back and continue being rude and the more suspension that person will get yeah so we need to impose a rule okay yeah all right it's a conclusion maybe you can tell us something when what I can say is we as youths in the 21st century and specifically the comrades and I also the youths maybe in Kenya Kyrgyzstan County Rift Valley I want to urge them and encourage them that let's take our space in each and every sector be it elections be it studies be it where let's be outstanding even in the coming elections let us see youths flooding majority of seats and I want to encourage the youths that they should not be afraid of anything and in any case it is said we can choose to live by fear or either being freedom yeah but I urge them we go for freedom let's not be afraid of anything in as much as it's something that's good for the building of our nation and let the youths not be taken for granted by anybody you've seen all the leaders trying to pull on their side all the youths to their side but this should not be taken for granted youths must take their space equally in each and every position yeah thank you all right sir what I have to say Val is that first thing or the first opportunity to take is we the youths getting landed getting education education will make us more civilized why should I say so after somebody has undergone education whether he's employed or not definitely you have the skills and that's why I comment on our president that is Dr William Samoy Ruto he came up with the technical institutes technical learning whereby you learn technically you can learn and then maybe you then to get an advantage to be to be in a job somewhere but you can start your own through the skills you have the technical skills you have when we'll have those technical skills I want to promise you there will be no demonstration there will be no high cost of living because everybody will be engaged everybody will have money the problem that is bringing high cost of living is that some have money some and majority do not have that is now what is bringing the differences some are learned majority are not learned because if you see in hard-working countries like China they are better because at least they are they are impacted in skills find a small kid making a wrist watch like this of mine that is a self-employment that is an earning so whenever our country will come to hand like at a personal level whenever our country all of us will come to an engagement in work to do definitely there will be no time of demonstration there will be no time of shouting high cost of living because everybody will have that capacity he's occupied he or she's