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{
    "id": 130595,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/130595/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 456,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "and other gangs like Al Shabaab to go and fight alongside them and get some dollars, participate in piracy so that they can earn a living. This is the state of hopelessness in our nation; the state of hopelessness amongst our youth. They are turning into a menace unless something is done. But we also know that there is great talent and potential in our youth. If this potential is properly harnessed, it can turn into a great asset for our nation. Indeed, we have heard of young men who have come up and recently I saw one on television, who came up with a gadget that can charge mobile phones using the boda boda . As he rides, he could actually put that gadget on the wheel of the bodaboda and it would generate power and charge a phone. This is a great talent! We saw a young man who once upon a time came up with an anti-theft gadget that could be used to track cars. A young man born in Kenya and out of the genius that God gave him, he is able to come up with that gadget. If only we could tap that talent, there is plenty of talent amongst our youth, whether it is in the fine art, music performances we have seen; whether it is on the field and track. We have seen the potential and the gift that we have amongst our youth in this nation. But now that the nation is 46 years old, the time has come that we are now as a nation, coming up with a youth policy. It has taken many years. It has been overdue. It also tells you that though Kenya is a youthful nation, we have not really given priority to youth matters. Over 40 years without a comprehensive policy on the youth of this nation, to come now and have a policy for the youth 46 years down the line, tells you there is something terribly wrong in our leadership. Over all these years, we have not prioritized. To come now with this Bill, we are saying it is coming a little too late and it is something that ought to have been done many years ago. But it also gives us and the youth of this nation hope that finally, we are getting round to think about the youth; to come up with issues that could actually give them hope and recognize them because though they are the majority in our nation, they have no say. They hold no position until recently in decision making organs of this nation. To have a Youth Council is the first step towards that direction where we will have a council looking at this Bill that will give time and attention to the youth and to listen to their views. Looking at the manner in which the council is formed and the advisory board, we should have a system where the youth themselves will have a say through their representatives right from the districts. Indeed, like in my district, Trans Nzoia, we have been told that there would be elections where they would be allowed from the locations to the divisions to elect representatives. However, those elections were held at locational levels but not at the district level. The youth would like to elect their representatives. We are hoping that if we could amend – and we will be proposing these amendments at Committee Stage – where after finishing elections at the districts, we could have elections at the provinces such that we could have provincial representatives from all the eight provinces. So, these eight provincial representatives should be elected by the youth themselves so that as they are coming, they have the mandate and voice of the youth and are able to champion the issues touching on the youth. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, looking at Section 4 of the proposed Bill, you will find that both in the council and the advisory body, the appointments are to be made by the Minister. The Minister will appoint this and that and he would also have a Permanent"
}