Kenyan youth are operating on survival mode fulltime and barely have the headspace to internalise any new information that does not relate to their immediate well-being. Yet they are going to be here longer than the current duty bearers and are obligated to carry out their civic duties for the betterment of the communities they live in and the country as a whole. The fact of the matter is, most youth are disconnected and unaware of what their civic duties and responsibilities are through no fault of their own and so this article aims to educate them on some of the ways they could start their civic engagement.
According to the Constitution of Kenya 2010 every adult Kenyan is obligated to ensure that the constitution is interpreted in a manner that promotes its purpose, values and principles, advances rule of law, human rights and Bill of rights and contributes to good governance.
Practical examples of what this means is that the youth are expected to speak out against injustices in their communities,, For instance, say they notice irregularities in how the Chief of their area is disbursing the funds meant for the older members of the village who qualify to get the funds on account of being 65 years and above, they should hold the Chief accountable by presenting their concern during the Chief’s baraza and have it discussed by the attendees. Should that fail, they should then report the said Chief to the Police for some action or follow up to be made on the matter.
Speaking up when you see anything going wrong is your obligation as the youth of this great country Kenya.
If you notice irregularities in the disbursement of CDF bursaries and projects within the constituency, it is the responsibility of the youth to write a letter to the area MP detailing the irregularities and asking for accountability. Writing letters may not seem like much to most youth but it is such seemingly small actions that cumulatively bring about change because anything that is documented cannot be wished away. It may take time, but it will be dealt with at some point. Speaking up when you see anything going wrong is your obligation as the youth of this great country Kenya. With one youth at a time in all the 47 counties, the change we need to see in how the counties are run will start to manifest once a critical mass of youth around the country is demanding for accountability from the respective duty bearers.
Speaking out is not only limited to issues of governance but covers a wide number of other issues. If you encounter anyone’s rights being violated offline or online, for instance they are getting bullied online, speak out for them and support them in upholding their right to free speech. When you encounter people throwing trash on the ground rather than in the designated dustbins, make them pick it up and trash it correctly because it eventually adds up to the drains not being clogged and flash floods happening whenever it rains. It is such little acts that build up to make everyone responsible for taking care of the environment and the spaces we live in. These are but a few of the numerous examples of how the youth can be switched on in their civic engagement in the course of going about their daily activities. Usikimye in the face of any form of violation. Sema usikike.