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"speaker_name": "Eng. Okundi",
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"legal_name": "Philip Okoth Okundi",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this very important Motion. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the production of the Youth Development Policy Paper has been long overdue. I am glad that it has come up. Imagine the Paper says that over 75 per cent of the population in Kenya is below or about 30 years of age. That is the real core of youth activities. Also, imagine that almost over 50 per cent of the criminals in this country are the youth. Even with regard to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, over 60 per cent of those who are infected are the youth. October 17, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 4593 Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the youth stage is the most active phase of our life. That is the time when human beings feel that there is nothing they cannot do. They have a lot of energy. They are very anxious. They want to fill their heads with things that they do not know. So, they are, in short, a very major resource for the construction and development of any country. They should be released into very big economies, like other countries have done. So, really, our Government and, particularly, the Minister, have done a wonderful job in bringing this Sessional Paper here. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I urge all my colleagues to really support this Policy Paper. I know that many times, when you produce something that never existed, it has many pitfalls. It may not be encompassing everything. But now that this Policy Paper is before us, it is a chance to tap the knowledge of the youth. The Paper targets some eight areas which have to be addressed in order to do something about our youth. Those areas are many. I know that they are not the only ones. There are so many other areas. Some of them will come along as our youths do so well in our society in terms of developing themselves and producing revenue and economic growth for our country. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I remember very well that I have trained some youths in my constituency. Some of them did not do so well in school because their parents are either not there or are so poor to support them. But what I have seen is that they have learnt to repair things without proper formal training. They pick the trade so fast. That brings me to the area of youths in Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) development. That is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. We know that technology has changed our lives in all sectors; in agriculture, medicine, food production and inspection of health standards and everything. So, technology has made things very simple. So, what has happened is that today, in the area of repairs, be they cars, houses, plumbing and cleaning water, all that information has been harnessed, prepared and put in a very simple language in the computer and the internet. So, if the youths are trained to access the internet using computers, they will follow those instructions step by step. When they follow those instructions, that opens a very large area for industry where the youth can earn a living. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I started by saying that I saw some youths in my constituency who are able to manufacture mobile phones at a much cheaper rate than our shops. For example, the cheapest phone is around Kshs1,500 to Kshs1,800. That is a gadget that can cost, at least, Kshs5,000 to Kshs8,000 in the normal shops. But when you look at the device prepared by the youths using ICT access--- I have found out that I can buy from them. Recently, I bought 15 mobile phones to give to some people who always ask me for mobile phones. Those are repaired by the youths who did not have good education because of poverty. That is why the Minister said that the Paper addresses eight target areas which require the youth to develop. One of them is the youth in ICT development. That is a minefield that can really engage our youth. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Government said 500,000 youths will be employed per year. That has not been realised. We have talked about it everywhere. But we know that, informally, like in the Jua Kali Sector and the ICT area, some employment is taking place. I think that is one area that can realise employment without talking in the traditional way that: \"If you employ me, then I have a clerk and so on.\" Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to say that the youth are involved in all the activities in this country, political or otherwise! Whatever we campaign for, the success requires the activities of the youth. I feel that the youth are a big potential which we do not know how to exploit. Once it is tapped, it is there. But it requires training and enterprises. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, this area is so large. We can speak for a whole day. But I want to 4594 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES October 17, 2007 touch on the area of enterprises, which the Minister introduced and it is working very well. The Kenya Industrial Estate would like to partner with the Constituencies Development Fund in the constituency in order to promote training. The youth entrepreneurs could be given some training. In that training, they identify some very good youths. Say in one constituency, they identify about 200 to 500 youths. They say they will help them to process the request for funds so that they can be assisted to do the enterprises. That is a noble idea and I commend the Minister. I urge him to push that matter as far as possible, so that it happens. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I with those few remarks, I beg to support."
}