‘Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and honorable members of the house for this golden opportunity to officially release this year’s budget. This coming year the government has looked deeper into the youth issues and therefore allocated an amount of twenty billion Kenyan shillings to support youth leadership and programs.’ This is the song that has been ringing in our years for centuries ever since our independence.
Billions and billions being allocated to support the youth growth to give them a platform to develop and mature in terms of leadership and responsible behaviors and all we get is wasted smart minds on the streets and flooding online spaces looking for who and where to obtain a coin at least to sustain themselves and get the energy to live and to hustle another day. All because the so-called people, our fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts who are supposed to hold our hands squandered the funds.
Ohh poor young and intelligent young African leader with enough integrity and education to help govern our everyday harshly driven mother country. So smart that at a young age you had so many eyes looking your way. So brave to defend what you believed to be right, enough courage to say the truth as it is without calling a spade a big spoon. You were so smart that those that believed to be your elders started shaking in fear, afraid of being challenged by a young man fresh from the books. So intelligent that they had to take you out in broad daylight. May your soul continue dancing with the angels’ Tom Mboya.
What is the importance of giving us advice, issuing us bursaries to learn and be educated? Encouraging us to be leaders with our own principles, feeding us with uncountable long speeches in the name of motivation on how we should be the next leaders. Grooming us into politics by making us hang on your campaign trails to encourage our fellow youths you are the one. Then when we finally start standing up on our principles by going an extra mile of correcting some misleading principles you get back to us, trying to intimidate and make us follow your path and never challenge you. Young leaders have been influenced to a point of leaving their own principles and following the people who have promised them success. What is the point of claiming we are leaders when we can’t speak out and stand on our own without being intimidated?
We organize youth leadership forums and events but know the intention is not to help us grow but the allowances and privileges that come with it. When will the real voice and real young leaders stand out if not given an opportunity, nurtured, given ground to grow and mature in terms of leadership? Sorry I almost forgot, is it because we are untrusted, once a very vibrant African leader came out clearly to defend the elderly that are holding offices even in youth organizations, claiming that it’s rather to have a trustworthy old man in an office than a corrupt young man. Several years down the line even after defending the old man the country’s corruption rate is growing even higher. Did I miss something? Did the old man mysteriously become young?
I know any youth will be gladly nodding at the above piece of sense, but let’s not forget you cannot be recognized if you do not stand out. Not only does charity begin at home but also leadership does. Let’s stand up for what we feel is wrong. If you believe you have the power to lead and make a change, go for it. Let the world know that youth can make good and even better leaders. Let’s stand out to be noticed.
Heads up for all the young institution leaders, young union leaders, all those young leaders out there who are effortlessly fighting for the good of others. All those young leaders who are determined to go all the way up, those who don’t cover evil, all those who would give their lives to stand for the weak and lead towards not just the right direction but towards light because at the end of the tunnel there is surely light.
Article by graviceluvuga@gmail.com