Call for youth service is timely

The rest of world is more bullish about the eminence of Kenya’s economic takeoff than Kenyans themselves, as evidenced by, for example, the resurgence of foreign direct investment.

Kenya’s ranking on the governance index has notably improved, with a number one ranking on country policy and institutional assessment among sub-Saharan African countries.

Nonetheless, we are wallowing in diversionary politics of entitlement, shrinking our indomitable can-do spirit and opportunism into pessimism and self-doubt.

This skepticism has blurred our eyes; we cannot see the commercial viability of the plentiful opportunities that are attracting global confidence in spite of concerns over insecurity.

Investors from the West have defied their governments’ geopolitically driven travel warnings to join their Asian counterparts in the scramble for these opportunities. Some multinational corporations have relocated their headquarters to Nairobi.

Such activities as well as the expanding middle class have complemented the Government’s ongoing infrastructural initiative to transform Nairobi and its peripheral towns into a construction site. These activities, among others, confirm the nearing of an economic revival.

As the pilot in charge, the post-independence generation bears the moral obligation of ensuring a flawless take off.

On the other hand, the burden of a safe landing in the promised land of industrialised middle income country status and sustainability far beyond is expected to rest on our youth’s shoulders.

The profile of most of the youth, nonetheless, casts doubt on their preparedness to take up these responsibilities. On average, the youth live on the periphery and are excluded from the formulation of policies that affect them.

Young people are facing a host of challenges, including unemployment, underemployment, and the social issues of alcoholism and drug abuse, to mention a few.

Such challenges demand public policy intervention, if Kenya’s transformative agenda embodied in our dream of becoming a middle income country by 2030 is to be realised.

The Government is alive to this need, as evidenced by its commitment to the youth agenda, which includes initiatives such as the Uwezo Fund, Youth Access to Government Procurement Opportunities and Youth Enterprise Fund.

Unfortunately, the common denominator in these initiatives is that they are based on self-selection because their criteria does not uniformly apply to every young person. This has impeded the penetration of the initiatives.

However, the re-invigoration of the National Youth Service (NYS) as a training ground for the youth in various tasks of national importance is promising.

We are facing a host of complex problems, including yesterday’s ethnicisation of nation building and and today’s terrorism. The resolution of these problems demands new strategies that incentivise the youth to actively play their rightful role.

It is in this context that the presidential call for the youth to rededicate themselves to national service is timely and visionary. The call summons the youth to give a testimony of national loyalty and patriotism by reminding them that they are the nation’s hope. In their hands rest the success or failure of our journey to becoming an industrialised nation.

To prepare the young people to take up these responsibilities, the new NYS envisages itself as a catalyst for youth empowerment. The fulfilment of this agenda rests mainly on the re-structuring of programme and institutional pillars.

The programmes will encompass paramilitary and service regimentation. This will entail an annual recruitment of two cohorts of 10,935 servicemen and women, in January and July, with graduations in November and May.

Under national service and youth re-socialisation, the 21,870 recruits will be expected to mentor another 227,670 selected young men and women through supervision of paid nation building activities such dam and road construction, vector control, slum civil work and agribusiness. The selected youth will be split into 15,178 squads of 15 people each.

Social transformation and vocational training will involve inculcation of civic competence and specialised skills. Civic competence will be achieved through basic and vocational training that will be rolled out in schools of engineering, agribusiness, construction, hospitality, fashion, enterprise and public duty.

Enterprise and youth economy programmes will promote self-employment. An integrated construction company will be established to train masons, carpenters, plumbers, electrician and civil engineers. The company will undertake private and public construction contracts.

Youth labour export will entail labour retraining and re-orientation for NYS certification, and building linkages with the private sector abroad.

Lastly, commercialisation of NYS institutes through creation of module II training programmes will further contribute to social change by providing training for non-NYS recruits.

The aforesaid framework will be a means of acculturation, acquainting the youth with their fellow Kenyans of all tribes, creeds and economic backgrounds. Such exposure will teach the youth to embrace and appreciate diversity, uniting them on the path of nation building.

National service will not only enhance civic engagement of the youth. Young people serving in a civilian capacity will also provide a solution for unmet social needs.

Lastly, national service supports the proposition that our rights come with responsibilities to others.

More important, and contrary to concerns raised on militarising the youth, the training will be broad, and is likely to enhance youth’s employability.

If implemented to the letter, the initiative will empower the youth economically and give them the skills necessary for industrialisation.

The proposed policy to reform the NYS distinguishes itself from other youth initiatives because it targets a particular age group. Therefore, it is likely to engage these young people in nation building based on patriotism and economic empowerment.

It is time to pay attention to the youth and provide them with more avenues for participation in national matters. This we must do for our economic prosperity and the posterity of our young democracy.