Thursday 22 May 2014

The Power of the Youth


It has been said that young men and women are the leaders of tomorrow. And the current leadership has made sure that the tomorrow they keep on talking about does not come any sooner. That is why the 21st century must be declared the Century of Renaissance in Africa, The Century of Youthful Tsunamis Sweeping Across Africa, from Cairo Egypt, through Loitoktok Kenya and finally to the sharp corner of Southern Africa. The need for contribution of the youth to community development in Africa and the world cannot be overemphasized.

The future of Africa is in the hands of the vibrant, energetic and productive youthful members of the African community. The young Turks must and should decide whether they will keep on sitting on the fence while criticizing  the leadership of the day without doing anything concrete to help them help the people, or they will say No More to Oppression, No More to Anarchy , No More to Autocracy that have characterized most jurisdictions in the African continent.  History has taught us lessons of societies that were emancipated from the york of bondage and untold suffering in the hands of their “leaders”. History is rich with stories of men and women who took a vow and decided they will step in and make a difference in their communities. I am yet to come across a society that was developed by one year old kids or hundred year old men and women; and we must learn from that.

In the Change Making Movement, the drivers of the Change the Way Things Are Done agenda will encounter opposition from individuals in and out of government who would wish to maintain the status quo because either they are not development-minded or are benefitting from the process. This should however embolden the Change Makers. They should treat the opposition they get as bumps in the road to Eldorado, the mythical place of cold water and honey. Straight and smooth roads have never produced competent drivers, rocky and muddy terrains have. A society where everybody agrees to a proposal is not a serious society. A society where 100% of the population trusts the leaders is not a human society. Leader-worship is not the reason why America grew into becoming the most powerful nation on earth. The Martin Luther Kings of our 21st century have a duty to play if the menace of terrorism, corruption and many ills ailing the Kenyan society today are to be rooted.
We need Community Empowerment in Northern Kenya; we need a dead-end to the radicalization of the youth in Mombasa and Nairobi; we need a thorough reform process in the executive arm of the county and national governments. We need a robust development agenda to spur growth and turn around our 47 economies; otherwise devolution will be the worst thing to have happened in the history of post-colonial Kenya. The youth must rise up to the challenge






1 comment:

  1. For whatever reason I may or may not know, this gentleman must be appreciated.
    He talks after doing, advises after making it.
    No waste of chances here.

    ReplyDelete