 Good morning. It is the 13th day of March. Can you imagine? March is the halfway done. It's flying, but it's fine. It is a beautiful time to be allowed to be six feet above the ground, and I myself am feeling quite fresh. This is morning. You can interact with it. And we have a couple of things that we're going to touch on, but before we do that, I'll allow my guest to introduce himself. Hello. Good morning. How are you? I'm great. I'm doing well. Please introduce yourself to the people. My name is Saimuna Wene. Saimuna Wene is a father and the founder of Slam Story Kenya. Slam Story Kenya is an organization, it's a CBO that deals with the empowerment of youth through music and arts. So mostly we do sports to influence youths in time. Is it a particular community where you're from? Mostly we work in the Westlands constituency. Is it for ladies and gentlemen, or you're starting with a boy child and spilling over? It's all over. We do a lot of things. Oh, okay. When you hear about sports, you don't really focus on the girl child a lot with sports, although I am quite of the belief that we're very good at it. But mostly about sports, we support the existing sports. So we have the volleyball for the ladies, and also we have some basketball for the ladies. Do you want to play volleyball? Yes, I want to play volleyball, Sana. I don't think I have the experience in my life. All right, Karibu Sana. So in our conversations today, we are going to touch on a couple of things, but we don't have too many to pair. We can sit and talk and talk and talk and talk until the time ends. But I do want us to touch on... I'll start with Azmi, because they've been making highlights. They're previously given, I want to say us, or the government, the state that they give us an ultimatum, 14 days before they begin mass action, or so they put it. What are your thoughts? There's still a story in the IBC, because yes, they're trying to balance with the cost of living. It's too high, and there are funds here and there that have been missing, or they demand are accountable for. But what's happening here? What ground do you want us to be in? My thoughts, mostly let me say, like the ultimatums, to me, they're based on maybe the 2027 election. They're using an IBC that is going out. And there is no any other IBC in place. So for me, I think Azmi is using all the methods to at least have their formula of choosing the next IBC commissioners in place. So they're using any other formula to whip or to mobilize the ground towards pushing for the agenda. If you check the cost of living, we talk, but at the end of the day, there is always a hidden agenda. And to me, if I look at it, and there is a space there. So we're trying to fill in a vacuum. It's not really about servers being opened now. Even if we open them now, what changes? Well, that's a good question. That's a very good question. Now, they open. They have a much to state house. They reach at the entrance. They get points. And then they ask now, these are the servers. What will they do? All right. These are very hard-hitting questions. Now, I'd like to be balanced. So we had our president speaking yesterday. He was at a Thanksgiving event in Chuka. And he categorically said that even though the demonstrations are peaceful as they may be, they will not hinder the development plan of his particular government. How are you feeling about this? Was it a must that the president comes out and addresses the situation? I've been asking myself, what will it cause the government or the president? If we just maybe copy some of the leadership strategies of the former, the late president, just to ignore the opposition, settle in the office and work for Kenyans. There are a lot of roaming, Thanksgiving churches every day and then with a lot of politics. Don't you think that he has been well invited into march with Yazimio and he has just decided to play on with him? At the end of the day, Kenyans are losing. So this back and forth is unnecessary? To me, it is unnecessary because you've been elected six months into the office and he has not settled. He has been moving around, the president is really moving. The thanksgiving, what are we thanking the Lord for? He won the election. He's celebrated in Akuru usually. It was a very big crowd. What are we still going to church to do? Can we just go to church silently, pray like there is so many churches around town, around state house area here. Come back, work for Kenyans. Your words are very... But speaking of the church, I really do get a bit, I want to say before adults, when I see church services, one minute we're doing what's needed to be done, the business that church tends to take on, why I've gone to church on a Sunday and then suddenly from nowhere, there's like 10, 15 minutes of political speak. Do you think the church should be involved? Actually, church is even scaring people away because you are going to church to seek the presence of the Lord and talk to the Lord maybe about your issues and people are really going through a lot of issues. Some people are fighting depression, people are fighting hunger and a lot of things. Then you go to church and you are passed a walk from the back door of the church and we celebrate Jesus. They praise and worship for five minutes and you are invited, you feel like the Lord is here. Then 10 minutes later, for example, let me say, I mean a church that now the government, the president is attending, look at the speeches they're making, are they uniting people or they're even making this question worse. You go hungry, you come back, even more hunger, there's a lot of hunger because here you are having a president saying, we are not going for the handshake but we are praying for unity in church. How are we going to sit down with the Lord and ask Him to answer our prayer of unity in such a situation? You see, it's really different. I think if the president is a true Christian and we say we need to serve the Lord in spirit and in sincerity, there is no Lord of division. I want to touch on that, but let me just move on swiftly because it's too late. So also over the last week or the weekend, we had the deputy president, Gavit Dasha, coming out to speak and the points I will speak on are concerning the media. So he stated that the media needs to be fair, even when covering specifically the president and the current government, and he says the media has not been fair or it's not been balanced also. No, no, Narsha, talk to me. It is true. You know, there are a lot of things that Rikiji says that if you've ever worked for government or any other regime, it is true. When you say the government is a company where you are judged with what you've brought in the table, it is true somehow because you see during the formation of coalition they are bringing tribal kingsmen, you bring Mudavadi so that you can get lawyer. So you will be given at least a portion depending on how you brought. But now with the media, which is also true, but I also want to ask him a question. They are pointing media men into government and they want the same media company to be free and fair. Gashuri now has friends who will be visiting him in the government office. Do you still expect those friends of Gashuri to report the exact thing or something that is going to hinder the office where Gashuri is serving? So how free do you want media to be? So it is just true, media is not free somehow but they are also causing that. So one hand they are saying that they are suffering for whatever reason that they are being painted in a bad light and he even called on a specific newspaper and he said these people have not been doing us correct but on the other hand he is now also appointing or the current government is also appointing. So there is miscommunication, what's happening? There is a bit of imbalance there. But for me the media that is complaining about we had let's say Kanzerdena appointment into state, what followed you see you saw how the media company that employed Kanzerdena behaved and I'm sure Rigiji is not happy about the same media company. And a lot of things now they have again moved to a point maybe let's say Gashuri and other people and other media personnel. Why? It means even the same government have had some media personnel that are working into various media companies for them specifically. How did you land a job? How did you get your state job from a media company who connected you and we are living in a canyon of connection. It means you've been working for them to shape the opinion of the people secretly. On the other hand as Mio is also planning like to tell you which media station you are going to boycott which newspaper you are not going to read it is all over. So this one is not comfortable with this one with the other media station. It's all over. It's just a game. Wow. Is it almost like favoritism? This is the child I like. These are the children. At that point the media themselves needed to decide whether they want to be independent or to continue. They have one foot in and one foot out. They are not quite sure. Both sides of the political divides. I'd like to believe that maybe Samim Takamagashuji his appointment was because of his rigorous reporting. He is very knowledgeable about certain things and he would become a very big asset. I would not like to imagine that there is something happening secretly. It's just that he is adept and he is knowledgeable and why not. You can see he wants to add the boy. No. Our deputy president said is he touched on the former president and his relation with the leader of the Asmio camp that is Rayla Odinga. He is very concerned because he also addressed the coming protest or mass action or the march to state house and dubbed. He asked why when the price of unga was at a lower price but when the handshake situation was raining during the former regime why was there no pandemonium? I want to say we are saying unga but we are connecting it to the cost of living. How do you feel about his also I want to say reaction to the Asmio camp's desires? It is true. You are saying things that you can relate to they are very to me the question is they said we give them one year so that they work on sustainable programs when it comes to the cost of living for example. Currently the government have registered the farmers now let me ask them a question I just talked to my mom home and my source now it is raining back home there but the assistant chiefs that register them still have not communicated when they are receiving their fertilizers. Wow The people are still lining up to buy fertilizers that are very high cost Yeah Wow Now if Rigi ji it is true now the cost of unga have reduced a little bit but now what will happen if you fail to provide to supply farmers with a subsidized fertilizer having registered them so you see we are still heading to another situation whereby we are unga it has been it is not a constant price even if today maybe Rigi ji say it is one seventy something one eighty something it is true but you go to supermarket today you will get maybe it is one ninety something towards something it is not constant price It is fluctuating Okay Okay There we go and I want us to finish with the highlight of today's conversation So there was a particular feature on one of the media houses and they were focusing on Wasengishu as a county and there is apparently a job fiasco so there is I do not know if I let me just mention it in passing so there is an agency called first choice and apparently this particular agency has been duping job seekers so I imagine it is taking money from you or trying to organize or facilitate how you can go abroad to search for greener pastures and all these things but it is not really working out the system is breaking down somewhere in between but it went ahead and flat out denied that they are not duping any job seekers so now what caught my eye is the numbers the numbers are terrible there is about ten point one million people in Kenya who are not employed two point five million actively hunting for jobs so where are we going as a nation in relation to the youth how we are going to school first of all the amount of fees has greatly increased since I do not want to point the fingers and name names during the James but now things are really expensive and we are doing our very best to graduate now after we graduate then what but see like my organization works in the slums and I'm sure the reason why Kenyans maybe elected this regime is because they were speaking the real issues that were affecting the local monarchy at that point even up to now the hustlers that has been the word of the day in the slum area I'm hustling here doing this meaning there is no specific job somebody is doing in the area and it is true I'm not sure leave alone how the government is providing the subsidy the relief food in other maybe semi-arid areas the slums of Nairobi is real semi-arid areas within the city you go to Madare you go to not really I don't want to talk much about Kibera but there are some slums that are hidden like Mkuru Kwa Jenga Mkuru here you get somewhere around Kangemi there are some slums that have been focused a lot by media so you see everybody maybe those the well-wishers that are coming into the country focus on that slums like Kibera and other big slums but there are these ones the situation is really Nenoma but now the problem is we are having again agencies people have gone to work maybe they are in other middle east country they have put a knowledge a small connection of how they can work for a certain company there so they are coming back here to start an agency that recruits people laborers here workers here for another company but they don't have a real good working relationship and like that let me talk about four people in person that I talk to even get my phone and they always cry like Simon can you connect me how I can come back to the country I know so many so these companies these agencies are well connected with the various government departments so you find the agency owner maybe knows a certain big fish somewhere in a government office even if you do what we will tell you Simon you see what you called about there is this lady I called I will not mention her name I called the agency that took her to Saudi Arabia while they were working here they were trained first on how they are going to work after training you will have to work for two weeks you only told how to greet the small small things maybe the small names in Arabic and other names and then some of these ladies are always ferried from as far as down in rural areas because the ladies in urban areas are anti-hazardizing so they move as far as maybe somewhere in in Kuala where maybe hangar have hit people there down somewhere in Garisa and they bring these ladies who are the owners of the gas so you are taking to manage maybe a certain big house as well as a mansion as well as a room and other things she is not even are doing anything so what happens again the contract that they are signing with this agency here is different from the contract they are going they are required to sign with the company that is recruiting them there they signed a contract here that she is going to work as a house help for two years but on reaching there they make one contract that you are going to work one day so you leave as if you are in a in a day school so you are put in a dormitory somewhere and you are going to do a small job so it's more of like modernity have because in Kenya you get 500 and it is consistent per week you are sure you will work for six days but you work at least twice a week so the situation will become hard some of those agencies when they could drop they have hold everything that you are having no passport, no everything so you are a slave and the government is doing nothing about it I was really hopeful that because I have always loved the Chap Chap guy the foreign of Waziri Mutua but see the report they are giving back is like there are some a number of Kenyans that want to ski Vizuri Uko that is the good story about it but now we want to know what is the government doing about a number of Kenyans also when they ski Vizuri Uko that is not what they are not telling us and they hardly really had I saw also the interview of Waziri Wattrade Waziri Wattrade this is a M.K. I was really answering the question and he was even at point attack that he is an interested party in the job I am still waiting for the answer he is going to give Thank you for bringing that up actually there was a time around last year it was a very big up run it was not the first time how in specific the ladies our Kenyan ladies are going to the Middle East and they are sustaining injuries out of just being harassed out there again the documentation is held so they can't really they can't escape they can't leave and if you know something you cannot just walk around in another month's country without identification you have to have your passport on you at all times I am facing me now I cannot come back to the point of even passing away so someone who left very happy healthy and you know hopeful now I am becoming more so is this madness I was asking my co-hosts just a few minutes ago is this madness because madness the definition is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results what are we doing as a country and how is the government coming in at this point I know there are also some of the companies that are recruiting what when you want a good character of the people who are questionable you cannot recruit ladies who have done a lot of nasty jobs in the street and you expect them to well behave in the foreign countries for example yeah true I have also seen you know I have been working with and I have been moving on and off to some I have a lot of interest in the Middle East country and I also know a friend of mine that is having an urgency and some of the issues I have been facing these ladies they will do anything just to land in that Middle East country but once I land she doesn't care she just want to go and terrorize that street and you know and you know some of these ladies with that character and they are Arabs wife so I think it is if the government really want to do something then we need to start from square one revoke all the registration of all the agencies that are recruiting people and then start now at least it was because of the scrutinize for us to give you these lenses to operate what are some of the conditions you are going to work yeah we revoke all of them you are painting quite a vivid picture because now we are questioning the character of the people who are going abroad we are now taking blame from let's say these agencies or the actual government to now the people because they have questionable morals or but I have in fact lived in Riyadh for some time in my life I am a very strict Muslim country don't really mind what work of life you come from what color you are but if you are a lady you must cover yourself up I remember being of an age if you don't go you may have to start wearing they don't play with such things so how again can someone how can we point a finger at our ladies that now the woman because basically that's what we are saying but I have also had issues with that we have allowed those Arab nations when they are in Kenya here they just work with their job we don't question them why they face they are covering their faces while in Kenya the government also needs to fight for the freedom of the important workers when you are talking about Kenya but mostly the agencies they don't need to mix the character of the ladies they are taking to them tomorrow I am bringing you let me say a gangster for example because you know the business they have run maybe you know the business and that's the story I have had too much in Kenya now they are looking for a country where they can run into and then they come into your agency you don't even do thorough check up in the background information when you are looking for a job you hurriedly move that culture only to realize that a few months later when you are looking for a country where you can run the same issue that we are talking about in Kenya so if we revoke and then if the government revokes the operation lenses the easy agencies it will give these agencies at least where they can feel they are not above the law at the end of the day you are operating we give them the parliament can also do something about it under the committee on trade because now why do we have these committees sitting in the assemblies the committee on trade have never done any proposal they have never brought any bill concerning Kenya is a really Kenya is rich in terms of in terms of Wafanyikazi it is one thing that we are known we are known for globally so they need to move on at least where they can find something they table a bill first they revoke bring a bill so that there are policies for these agencies that are going to operate on you are speaking as as family as Kindike who is about to remove families from 27 areas very fast so that it can start I want can you come back next week I have follow up questions but in the interest of time I will ask you what do you think can be done about this unemployment rate I do understand that the government has tried their best to advocate for the youth to not only go to or take on white collar jobs not these technical and vocational courses things that you can do with your hands because at the end of the day as long as you can put something on the table as long as you can sustain if you have a family or not what do you think we should be doing step one I don't want to say get rid of but to lessen the blow of unemployment as youth empowerment when president who was coming to power I had really high hopes about the haslas fund because I thought haslas fund is going to work different from the ways of fund we have had ways of fund and we are having the youth enterprise fund and there is another fund in the women's office the engulf is a grant is a grant that if you go to every slum area for example there is always that small organization that is struggling to empower people but now for example I am running a CBO you also require to apply 700 just like any other youth there now these youths are looking up to you to me come on getting I feel the government betrayed as youths having campaigned vigorously on the reform of youth empowerment because when you are saying to me end up with 50 billion who is the mother of God who is the mother of God to me I thought that it is going to have an office the same way that we are having ways of fund so that we are having an appointee of the government into the haslas fund's office but we don't have any office for empowerment the haslas fund the committee so that you can move you need 500,000 if you get 500,000 what can you do with it within the slum area 500,000 and somebody can do a lot of things people have changed their life from a mere 10,000 5,000 but now look at this if you go with 1,000 you will come back with 3 items it's not even heavy you don't even have to buy a bag now to carry this so you see I feel the government betrayed as youths instead the office the wife of the first chief prime minister funny thing when you said office the first thing I thought was the office of the spouse of the prime cabinet secretary yes it's true so that we can line there with the proposals and everything so that the government can now find ways of empowering us down there but at the end of the day also look at this in terms of government appointees the youths that have been in front line to campaign that regime are always left behind and in every government office they are brokers they are youths the government did not provide them with anything to do so they are working for people maybe who bought those jobs they are working for the office it's a really different situation the people who are supposed to occupy the office are now outside now they are working with this government to promise youths you see I'm just close with the president the president will give me a small docket when he has an idea you start making your proposals now the guy that you are looking up to is also roaming around a certain government office in a suit and say that and they have nothing to provide for the youth so for me youths need to be taken a little bit serious to make a real deal for so long so long in terms of nomination we do a lot of campaigns and then at the end of the day the political leaders their own names their niece some bring girlfriends different people the highest bidder took the nomination slot and you campaigned you do a lot of things there and you are doing this genuinely convince your people to follow this route so that from that route you can come back and empower your people in a certain life in a kwangumu so for me I think even those in opposition because there is business everywhere there is business in opposition there is business in government easy connection do go easy but look at the face of those people even when the president come for the thanksgiving who speak have you ever seen a young man speaking how did they know the young men are always called in small boardrooms give your opinion very fast those opinions are taken seriously today we are in state house we need also to be heard not just to be seen I can see you are very passionate about this in our media go to some areas and by the way talking about unemployment rate do you know what these unemployment youths that are doing in the slum areas where did Nakada go the drugs issue and I am really happy that the deputy president came to Rwaka and he saw by his own eyes do something Mr Rikiji is that bad the foreigners are now killing the next generation and the government is doing nothing in fact the people that they have given job are now cooperating I don't know if you are aware of that if you say so maybe like you are a drug dealer I can help you see so and so at the end of the day they make huge amount huge amount of money in case you want to know what is going on is driving a biker and now the pressure on social media it's flying in the air it's really tough so here there is also a lot of corruption even on the ground and it is really affecting the local people okay thank you so very much Simon for coming I think again just because we are pressed for time not because we are not having a very good conversation and riveting one at that if you would just please again tell them who you are and what you do then we can wrap it up what I do personally mostly is youth empowerment I run a slum story slum story Kenya as I said it you can check us on Facebook by there we are everywhere on Twitter on Facebook on Tiktok check the slum story Kenya we deal with youth empowerment through music and arts and personally I work for Greenfield as a media communication brand so thank you very much you like to smile I can see it is never that hard I like that it's never that serious alright at white high phone Facebook Y254 channel on Twitter we are just concluding the youth and politics segment of the show today on a very wonderful Monday I will now allow us to take a short break and then we'll come back with Stephanie Eta and Bryan Asako 101 with so much more please keep your Y254