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"speaker_name": "Mr. Muturi",
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"legal_name": "Barnabas Muturi C. Mwangi",
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"content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the Motion. I would like to echo the sentiments expressed by the previous speaker. One of the problems that we have observed in this country in regard to the management of our youth programmes is lack of dialogue! We are not listening to them. We have a political leadership that, for a very long time, does not want to hold dialogue with the youth whenever a crisis arises. Unemployment has been mentioned as one of the areas that the Select Committee should look into. It has been discussed in many other fora. But I think one of the most important things that this House should consider is--- The problems affecting the youth should be looked into from an angle of socio-economic and political challenges, and what has been promised to them. The decline of employment opportunities, the collapsing of the agricultural activities in the rural areas, migration from rural to urban centres; all those should be looked into by the Select Committee. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, we used to produce enough wheat in this country. The Guaranteed Minimum Returns (GMR) was very useful to the farmer. What happened? When all that collapsed, we could not employ the youth in the rural areas? We need the Select Committee--- As an hon. Member said earlier, the life expectancy is up to 54 years. When we talk about the youth, we are talking about ages ranging from 18 years to 35 years. How many years are left for those youths to realize their potential? I think we need to look at the whole spectrum of our youth, and not only from that bracket. Look at what is happening in our secondary schools! The police are using force even in secondary schools! They are creating heroes for no reason at all! There is more than beating, arresting or even shooting the youths! We need dialogue; we need to find out what has gone wrong in our cultural backgrounds! Are we withholding our cultural beliefs that would help us to contain our youth and nurture them into adulthood? Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, when we talk about the unplanned settlements or the slums, who created them? This country must realize and accept that the spread of capitalism and the lesser devils should be addressed! The unplanned slums have no infrastructure at all and, if they have, it is inadequate. You only need to go to Mukuru slums! The industrialists would never want the slums to go away because they are a source of cheap labour! When the youth have no jobs, then they are called Mungiki, Jeshi la Mzee et cetera . The problem is within us, the leaders, and the country must address the problem! Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, in our own way of managing our resources, we need to look at the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and find out whether the Government has allocated enough resources to enable the Ministry to create employment and build centres that will impart skills and trades that will help them to settle. By addressing the youth activities, we will be able to arrest the situation that is mostly faced by youths in the rural areas and in the urban slums. July 23, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2035 Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, we also need to look at our education programmes. For quite some time now, we assume that, by the time those boys and girls get to Form IV, they are adults. One of the objectives of any education programme is to train and prepare our youth to suit in the society. I am doubtful whether the kind of programmes we have today are preparing our youths to fit in our society. The other issue that I have, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, is with regard to the distribution of our wealth. The Select Committee should also be able to look at the policies, if any, on industrialisation in this country. Our agricultural industries are based in some of the areas where people cannot reach the markets. The infrastructure should also be addressed. While we are doing the industrialisation, the Ministry of Roads should also ask itself when it is giving out contracts: \"Are we using our youths in intensive work or, are we going to use machinery while our youths still lament and cry for lack of employment? With those few remarks, Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, I beg to support."
}