TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR FINANCE INTERN POSITION
Siasa Place (SP) is a youth Non-governmental Organization (NGO), established in 2015 that specializes in working with youth and building institutional structures that support youth. Since its inception, SP has focused on youth expertise in policy review, participation in decision making processes including budget processes, and trained youth on policy making both at the national and county level, to improve and increase accountability.
Terms of Reference for Finance Intern Role
We are looking for a self-motivated and talented individual to fill the finance intern position. The individual must be based in Nairobi Kenya.
Roles and Responsibilities:
- Assist in maintaining petty cash.
- Assist in posting of journals on QuickBooks.
- Prepare payment vouchers for all petty cash transactions.
- Assist in filing all finance & administration documents.
- Provide administrative and logistical support to program staff..
- Assist with review and verification of support documentation submitted by project staff.
- Provide organizational support to preparation, implementation
- Assist with preparation of donor financial reports in line with donor reporting requirements.
Competence, Skills and Attributes
- Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, Finance or Accounting, Economics or other relevant field.
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
- Must be able to multitask and work well under pressure.
- Excellent organizational and leadership abilities.
- Detail oriented.
- Must have basic knowledge of accounting software such as QuickBooks.
- Must have basic knowledge of finance and accounting principles.
- Should be willing, ready and able to perform other duties as delegated to him/her by the supervisor.
Benefits
- Shadowing, mentoring & training with the Finance Manager.
- Hands-on application of financial principles in a fast paced working environment.
- Occasionally attend networking events.
- Stipend available.
Interested individuals to send their resume and a 500 max word cover letter via support@siasaplace.com with the email subject of ‘Finance Intern Application’ by 14th February 2022.
Siasa Place is an equal opportunity employer and charges no fee in the recruiting process.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Terms of Reference for Communications Officer Position
Siasa Place (SP) is a youth Non-governmental Organization (NGO), established in 2015 that specializes in working with youth and building institutional structures that support youth. Since its inception, SP has focused on youth expertise in policy review, participation in decision making processes including budget processes, and trained youth on policy making both at the national and county level, to improve and increase accountability.
Terms of Reference for Communications Officer Position
We are looking for a self-motivated and talented communications officer to lead our communications department. In this position, you will be in charge of producing high-quality content that engages our members, followers and builds brand recognition.
The main duties will also include creating informative content, press releases, articles, and media opportunities to share our organization’s brand.
The ideal candidate will be an excellent communicator, with brilliant presentation, organizational skills and will be based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Roles and Responsibilities:
- Create informative and interesting press releases, press kits, newsletters, and related marketing materials.
- Develop and implement effective communication strategies that build brand awareness.
- Provide design and direction for collateral, web, product packaging, and other visual communications media for Siasa Place.
- Help promote uniformity and consistency of brand.
- Prepare detailed media and field activity reports.
- Plan and manage the design, content, and production of all communications materials.
- Work with different organizational departments (Programs Team, Executive Director Office and External Suppliers) to generate new ideas and strategies.
- Supervise projects to guarantee all content is publication-ready.
- Create communication and marketing strategies for new programs, launches and events.
- Plan, manage and streamline Siasa Place membership.
- Explore and grow our social media channels.
- Respond to communication-related issues in a timely manner.
- Identify brand building areas.
- Create and/or edit multimedia content including videos, animations, and info graphics for the website, social media, quarterly newsletters (print and/ or online), and other appropriate outlets.
- Overseeing the branding of all written, printed and drawn materials to ensure they match with the organization’s communication policy.
- Coordinate the appearance of all organizations print and electronic materials.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in communications, journalism, public relations or relevant field.
- A minimum of 3 years’ experience in a similar role.
- Proven experience creating targeted content is advantageous.
- Strong knowledge of communication practices and techniques.
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
- Must be able to multitask and work well under pressure.
- Excellent organizational and leadership abilities.
- Detail oriented.
- Must have some knowledge of design software (Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Premier, InDesign).
Interested individuals to send their profile and a 500 max word cover letter via support@siasaplace.com with the email subject of ‘ Communications Officer Application’ by 14th February 2022.
Siasa Place is an equal opportunity employer and charges no fee in the recruiting process.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE END OF PROJECT EVALUATION BY EXTERNAL CONSULTANT
ABOUT SIASA PLACE
Siasa Place (SP) is a youth-led non-governmental organization (NGO), established in 2015 that specializes in working with youth and building institutional structures that support youth. Since its inception, SP has focused on youth expertise in policy review, participation in decision making processes including the budget process, and trained youths on policy making both at the national and county level, to improve and increase accountability.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
DEFEND RECORD YAKO is a pilot project being implemented in Kericho County between January 2020 and December 2021 and targeting youth through their organizations and members of the county assembly. The project aims to capacity build youth to gain awareness on the tools and methods through which they can organize around public participation in governance and establish a working relationship with the leaders to create an enabling environment for effective engagement between youth and County leaders.
The main problem is the lackluster way in which the constitutional right to participate in decision-making and governance are implemented on the ground by duty bearers. Public engagement is reduced to tokenism and mere checking of boxes contrary to the spirit of the constitution which demands that government had to work with the people to maintain quality of service delivery. As a result youth priorities are not taken into consideration during key development decision making processes like development of County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) and Annual Development Plan (ADP) making youth disillusioned and disengaged because they feel that they are not listened to and their needs are not met. As a result, failure in governance is often characterized by corruption and mismanagement of public funds. This has resulted in mismatched priorities between county and community, conflict of ideas, lack of community ownership, translated to lack of accountability on initiatives, which leads to failed projects.
It is in this regard that Siasa Place is proposed to create a social accountability structure through which youth can engage the duty bearers in good governance. The project trained youth group leaders who became social accountability champions on the structure of devolution, roles of leaders and necessary laws to enable them participate effectively in governance, organize community engagements and dialogue meetings to facilitate information sharing, conduct personal development training for the leaders and initiate performance tracking for the members of the county assembly. The project also engaged with county officials and built a collaborative working relationship between duty bearers and right holders. The project adopted a combination of both traditional media and social media as tools for advocacy. For instance, the project incorporates social media conversations, as well as use of creative messaging for awareness creation and update issues that youth are discussing and seeking response from the duty bearers in addition to the use of physical meetings.
1.1 Youth leaders training: The training aimed at capacity building the county leaders personal leadership development and also to introduce the project to the County, and further seek collaboration with other partners involved in similar projects. This session will be an opportunity to educate on the importance of youth inclusion, as well as capacity build leaders to often engage young people in their processes and how. The objective of the meeting is to invite other stakeholders to support SP during project implementation.
1.2 Community barazas cum stakeholders dialogue forums: These are grassroots meetings held within communities to educate youth on the importance of participating in decision making, available opportunities for participation, structure of governance, tools and methods that they can use to address issues of concern. The proposed project uses education to promote issue-based political mobilization, specifically promoting participation, utilizing non-traditional avenues such as digital platforms that give voice to youth, counter divisive narratives to facilitate civic education and engagement. The activity is set to enhance a network of youth influencers, looking at collaboration with duty bearers through dialogue forums. These forums will educate on understanding their rights, to demand those rights and to hold leaders accountable, roles of officers and securing those rights. A youth steering group will also be formed, to be the social accountability group, to build a collaborative partnership between leadership and the community.
1.3 Youth leaders strategy review meetings: The project supports youth stakeholders meetings based on the advocacy gaps identified during the follow up meetings. The meeting was aimed at facilitating information sharing, learning and planning on advocacy follow ups and further engagements between the stakeholders. The platform provided youth with the opportunity to exchange ideas with their colleagues and other leaders on how they can organize better and tackle challenges that they may face.
1.4 Online/Media engagements and radio: Hosting monthly engagements on Chapter 6, and the characteristics of a good leader, and linking it to leaders in the community as well. Call to action will involve people submitting stories of ordinary people they would like to highlight for having good character e.g. a waitress recently returning 60,000 shillings she found in a restaurant. The media engagement is to highlight young officials who are performing well in the County. This will in turn boost their visibility which will support their political career, improving their prospects for re-election.
1.5 Exit meeting: Organize one meeting for the people who have participated in the project as we end the project and hand over most of the things that they will need to follow through.
1.6 Youth leaders, women chama leaders and youth group social media administrators training : Map and identify social media administrators, train and support them to organize awareness creation and initiate dialogue to influence governance.
1.7 Advocacy training for elected ward based committee members on the right way forward: Based on the monitoring and evaluation report, most of the committee members did not have the capacity to initiate and sustain follow ups hence they were trained on how to organize dialogue advocacy
1.8 Mentorship for youth group leaders on management:The project organized a one day management training for youth group leaders to provide support to the ward advocacy committee members during their follow up process to ensure consistency and sustainability in advocacy follow ups.
1.9 Ward based advocacy follow up meetings on identified governance concerns: The project is proposing to support a total 12 advocacy follow up meetings organized by the committee and attended by 30 people (⅔ gender representation) and also aired live on social media.
2.1 Training workshop with county officials: The training aimed at capacity building the county leaders personal leadership development and also to introduce the project to the County, and further seek collaboration with other partners involved in similar projects. This session was aimed at creating opportunities to educate on the importance of youth inclusion, as well as capacity to build leaders to often engage young people in their processes and how. The objective of the meeting is to invite other stakeholders to support SP during project implementation.
2.2 Monitoring leaders performance: After training the youth on the role of different duty bearers, tools will be developed to monitor their performance based on their prescribed role in the constitution during the community barazas.
EVALUATION PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES:
The objective and purpose of this evaluation is to generate information that will assist the project management team to determine the level of success, identify weakness and recommend improvement for project efficiency and effectiveness towards the achievement of its goals and objectives. Specifically, this evaluation aims to:
- Determine the relevancy of the interventions, lessons learned, track key outcomes and impacts related to the different project components, assessing whether the objectives, aims and goals were achieved
- Determine the prudency in resource utilization (Value for money)
- Demonstrate that programme efforts have had a measurable impact on expected outcomes and have been implemented effectively.
- Assess gaps and opportunities including approach used in execution.
- Assess the impact of the project to the beneficiary community
SPECIFIC TASKS OF THE CONSULTANCY
Under the general guidance of the Executive Director and direct supervision of the program officer and other key colleagues, the Consultant will be responsible for developing evaluation tools, administering the tools and generating the report.
In particular he/she will;
- Develop and administer tools for evaluation
- Provide expert guidance to the entire evaluation process
- Conduct an analysis of the data collected and generate a report of the findings
CORE DELIVERABLES
- Inception brief inclusive of proposed methodology and proposed work plan.
- First draft shared before validation and thereafter incorporates inputs from the validation.
- A final and comprehensive evaluation report
- A PowerPoint presentation of the findings
QUALIFICATION AND COMPETENCIES REQUIRED
Interested consultant(s) should have expertise in the following areas:
- Extensive knowledge in project management, monitoring and evaluation.
- Proven wealth of previous experiences in evaluation work with written recommendation letters & recommender’s contacts.
- At least three years of knowledge and experience in practical program evaluation in either governance, public participation and devolution
- Good understanding of public participation with demonstrated practical working experience around the same.
- Excellent drafting ability (English) and analytical skills. Good communication skills in English. Kiswahili is an added advantage
- Ability to meet deadlines.
- Must possess at least a degree in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Public/government Economics.
SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS
Interested and eligible applicants can submit a short outline methodology of how they would conduct the evaluation, both on a theoretical and practical basis (not more than 2 pages), proposed work plan, detailed CVs of lead consultant and a link of your past work on a similar task via support@siasaplace.com
The last date for application will be on 16th December 2021 and thereafter one week within which the elevation will be done.
Please note the following:
- Subject to donor approval and funding.
- Consultant will be required in Kericho between 21st to 23rd Dec 2021
- Consultant to be available between 20th to 31st Dec 2021.
PEOPLE AND POLITICS By – OMAO KIMONGE
I strongly believe that the March 2018 handshake that heralded the Building Bridges Initiative has brought more divisions than a unity of purpose that it was initially meant to bring. The opponents and proponents of the report are in a constant push and pull trying to woo their supporters onto their side. This Initiative was aimed at stabilizing the body politics to underpin sustainable development and also eradicate poverty. We all welcomed the handshake because the country had reeled under the perennial cycle of post-election violence. We also believed the BBI reform process was a sure pathway to the promised land of political stability and the United Nations Development Goals. However, reading the body language of the political elite in the country makes me have a second thought regarding the referendum call. Having read the Building Bridges Initiative report, there are quite a good number of loose ends in the proposals and a reason as to why Kenyans should give it a wide berth in the upcoming plebiscite if at all it will materialize.
Foremost, the Building Bridges Initiative is illegal and unconstitutional. Our constitution gives two clear pathways to its amendment -a parliamentary way and also the popular initiative. Any amendments to the constitution emanating from the three arms of government must go through the legislature while those from the people must be people-driven. Proposals in the BBI emanated from the Executive and thus must go the parliamentary way. This has not been the case, public resources have been used to push the BBI agenda without a proper budget for the same. This is in contravention of the Public Finance Management Act(2012). Our leaders have misled us on this and I suggest that any elected leader in support of the BBI must not be re-elected in next year’s general elections. In the social contract theory, philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean Jacques Rousseau challenged feudal absolutism. Their common argument was that since the inhabitants of a polity could not exercise direct authority over themselves, they ceded such authority to a sovereign. The sovereign had to rule for the benefit of the masses’ failure to which the inhabitants could withdraw such power. As Kenyan citizens, we have a five-year social contract with our elected representatives and those who are working contrary to our expectations must face the electoral wrath in next year’s elections.
Secondly, the call for the constitutional amendment is ill-timed. It comes at a time when the country is facing Covid-19 that has ravaged our economy. Many Kenyans are currently hanging from tight economic ropes. The mainstream media highlighted a story of a woman who boiled stones to pacify her hungry children. We have further read about the thousands of children who have been sent away from children’s homes because such homes can no longer support them. Hundreds of thousands of Kenyans go without food on a daily basis and none is ready to address this pertinent issue. Kenyans are just sick, they are not only sick but also tired of the government of the day. I suppose there should be an amendment to reduce the size of the government and redirect the savings to other starved but important sectors of the economy like health and education. This is because a referendum is not a priority at the moment. Just like the 2005 referendum, this year’s referendum will be a test-run for next year’s presidential elections and whoever has his way will ride on the momentum to the general election.
Third, the reform agenda has been hijacked and is under the control of politicians who to me are driving their self-interests at the expense of the citizenry. The drafters of the BBI report were political appointees who served the interests of their masters. These drafters were keen to appease every conceivable group so that they could induce such groups to support the document. The youth were promised a national youth commission to address their challenges. There could also be a seven-year tax holiday for youth-owned businesses. Counties could receive up to 35 percent of the sharable revenue from the national exchequer. There is also a proposition of ward development to cater to the development agenda at the ward level. All these are just ploys to hoodwink the masses to support a report that is unnecessary. We have the ministries of Youth, culture, and sports both at the national and county levels, what challenges will the youth commission solve that the aforementioned ministries haven’t solved? The addition of national revenue to the counties is welcome, but how sure are we that these resources won’t be squandered, ours is a history littered with unsolved cases of corruption and millions of lost dollars. The endemic graft is rotting in every sector of the economy with realms of newspaper columns, hashtags in political speeches, and presidential speeches devoted to the topic.
The report also proposes the creation of the office of the Judiciary Ombudsman to police the judiciary. This is wrong because the judiciary is an independent wing of the government. Giving the president powers to appoint the judiciary ombudsman will thus weaken this important wing of the government. The main reason for coming up with the BBI was to actually look for an everlasting solution to the cyclic chaos after every electioneering period. How does the Judiciary Ombudsman come in? I have further failed to understand the nexus between the “reggae” and a sense of everlasting peace. The proponents of this report have been telling Kenyans how no one can stop the reggae. The makers of the Titanic ship that capsized on the 14th day of April 1912 had shown off that no one could sink that ship including GOD. Eventually, the ship sank killing over 2000 passengers on board. Kenyans must say NO to the BBI proposals which are a new cash cow to the political elites.
By:OMAO KIMONGE
RESEARCH AND POLICY ANALYST.
CENTRE FOR RESEARCH AND CONSULTANCY
Redefining Self Love – By MARILYN GLORIA ODONGO
What is self-love? Do I particularly love myself? These are some of the many questions that arise in people’s minds when they have a feeling of disconnection with themselves. In addition to that, they are caught up in a cycle of unlocking their self-worth but it remains futile for quite a while. Much to my dismay, it is also a popular search according to Google Trends, with the searches rooting down for information on how to practice it and make it your daily routine. Talking about routine, is there really an end goal to self-love or is it a daily task to keep me happy and content with who I am? I believe there is, it can be an extended-expression of yourself but with a lot of emphasis on your values, what you stand for, and love that you have decided on being just that or however more, you feel best.
The art of not loving yourself places you on one of the records of the climbing statistics on behavioral disorders. Poor self-image arising out of not accepting and loving yourself as you are enhances the chances of you being diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). This is a mental health condition that greatly affects your mood, behavior, and self-image. It is a cluster B personality disorder that affects a person’s emotional functioning and can lead to behaviors that others see as extreme or irrational. The above clarification leads me back to my definition of self-love, it also involves being at peace with your relationship with others and choosing to value those who are there for us. Self-love borders on a lot about our past, present, and even future, it is the bane of our existence.
Why the name Borderline though? Clinicians thought of the person diagnosed with this disorder as one on the border between having neurosis, an anxiety disorder, and psychosis, which is loss of contact with reality. This condition is characterized by feelings of dissociating yourself from others, stress-related paranoid thoughts, chronic feelings of emptiness, a series of intense emotions such as anger, low moods, impulsive behavior in terms of excessive spending of money, drug and substance abuse, instability in your relationship with others and lastly poor self-image in values and career plans.
It is really painful that one has to go through all this, what could be the triggers? Is it societal or individually based? It could be both. I figured it would be pointless to recoin and redefine the true meaning of self-love and what works best, without getting to the root cause. Society at large has a great task ahead in reigniting the true spark of self-love in each individual. Three main factors have been analyzed to be the causes of Borderline Personality Disorder. The first one being genetic factors, this could be attributable to cases where an immediate relative has had a mental health condition such as bipolar, depression, substance use disorder, or even antisocial personality disorder. Secondly, the individual’s environmental factors, how was the person brought up? Who was around him or her? What were the values instilled? How did they deal with losses or even sadness while still young? The individual could have been a victim of maltreatment, conflicts, abuse, and abandonment that could have been a thorn in his or her development and even emotional formation. Lastly, neurological factors have been well elaborated in medical records.
Someone would ask, “So what is the way forward, what are the solutions available?” There are a variety of treatments that have been described to help individuals with this disorder. First of all, is the cognitive behavioral therapy that involves working with a therapist closely in order to see and think things differently. Second, is a dialectical behavioral therapy that deals with a combination of both physical and meditative methods that enable an individual to regulate his or her emotions in a better way. Third, mobilization-based therapy, which is a talk therapy that helps people identify their own thoughts. Fourth, schema-focused therapy reframes how the person views themselves. Fifth, the transference focused psychotherapy that aims to develop a relationship with a therapist and thus there is an understanding of your emotions and interpersonal difficulties and lastly a systems training for emotional predictability and problem solving, which is a group therapy that is led by a social worker meant to supplement other forms of treatment.
I hope and pray that self-love shall become a moment of rest, a moment of unlimited joy, and a lifetime assurance of one wanting the very best for themselves. I want to be part of a community that voices self-love and works to ensure that each person is at peace with themselves.
By: MARILYN GLORIA ODONGO
Call for Communications Intern
Position Title: Communications Intern
Date to Begin: 6th September 2021
Supervised by: Communications Officer
Purpose of Position: To assist the communication team
Time Commitment: 10-20 hours per week
Closing date for applications: 29th August 2021
Location: Nairobi and remote working
Duration: 4 Months
About Siasa Place
Siasa Place is an NGO registered in 2015, based in Kenya, which is centered on engaging young people who normally shy away from politics. We recognize the importance of people’s participation not just in electoral processes but in accountable governance as well and the fact that good politics results in good policies.
Role Description
This role requires an energetic, dedicated and detail-oriented person who can manage multiple tasks. This individual is a team-player with an entrepreneurial spirit, willingness to learn and ability to manage multiple tasks while adapting to shifting priorities. Depending on skill set, this individual will assist with communications tasks including, but not limited to: writing and editing, photo and video production and editing, web and social media analytics, social media content, graphic design, media relations, digital asset management, event coordination and other communications and administrative support tasks as assigned. Ideal candidates will be energetic, inventive, hard-working, social media and web-savvy, self-driven and brimming with ideas about creative ways to engage audiences in the organization’s mission.
While assisting with a wide range of projects, the communications intern will gain hands-on experience and training in many aspects of outreach and youth engagement in governance, while also gaining a good understanding of working with a non-profit organization. Internships are generally scheduled during Siasa Place’s operating hours (9am through 5pm, Monday through Friday).
Education:
Ideal candidate is a recent graduate (graduated within the past year) or an undergraduate/ graduate/diploma student in journalism, communications, public relations, marketing, digital filmmaking, digital media, graphic design or a development-related field.
Responsibilities:
Applicants will provide support in the following areas. As no single applicant is likely to have all of the following skills, applicants with experience in at least 2-3 of these main areas, and a willingness to expand their skill set should feel comfortable applying.
- Social Media:
- Draft and organize social media content to promote SP blogs, videos and media coverage on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Tik Tok and Instagram.
- Contribute to social media quantitative and qualitative analytics reporting.
- Create and coordinate content for social media campaigns and observances with assistance from the communication officer
- Monitor and research influencers, trending topics and tools.
- Source content from staff, online research and news around Kenya, Africa and the world.
- Maintaining and updating Siasa Place social media platforms with guidance from the communications strategic plan and calendar.
- Assist in general social media planning, research, reporting and coordination as assigned for Siasa Place Programmes.
- Coordinate with guests and moderate social media conversations (Twitter spaces, chats, Facebook Live e.t.c)
- Live Tweeting/ sharing of information.
- Social Media Support and for events and programmes.
- Assist with preparation of social media reports.
- Miscellaneous Communications.
- Taking notes during meetings.
- Communications support as assigned.
- Project Specific Tasks
- Be a point person on tasks related to implementing the Communications Strategic plan for Siasa Place related to social media.
- Assist in creating and editing short videos for our social media platforms.
- Assist and serve as liaison with programme field events in communications capacity
- Assisting staff with tracking, formatting and archiving reviews, media and other documents.
- Reviewing and editing of articles sent in by Writers before they are shared with the Director for final review and approval.
Regular commitments/meetings:
- Weekly staff meeting and share report of weekly activities
- Planned field events and forums (to be communicated in advance).
The intern must have/be:
- Actively engaged on social media and have knowledge working with Social Media Tools (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Mail Chimp, WordPress, Google+, etc.) with active accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
- A commitment to work 10-20 hours per week for four months.
- A commitment to the mission and vision of Siasa Place.
- Passion for effective communication and utilizing various tools to deliver messaging
- Self-motivated, detail-oriented individuals with superior written, verbal and organizational skills.
- The ability to work independently and with others – especially volunteers, donors, partners and vendors.
- Dependability, flexibility, and ability to maintain confidentiality.
- The ability to work well under pressure and with deadlines.
- Video editing skills are an added advantage.
Interested applicants to apply through this link: https://bit.ly/3mySpdT
2022 Imara Fellowship for Young African Leaders
Are you a Kenyan Youth interested in learning about policy? Imara Fellowship would like to be part of your journey. We are inviting you to apply to a one-year exciting fellowship program. Through Imara, you will join a family of shared passions with other young leaders with whom you will share insights, question scenarios and learn from each other. Through a residential academy, online learning & direct community engagement in counties, Imara takes its fellows through a thorough and rigorous exposition on how to approach leadership in the public sector.
Imara fellowship is an unpaid fellowship (Fellows recruited are not paid for being part of the program). However, the program takes care of all costs.
Eligibility
To be considered for the Imara Fellowship Program, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Be between 18 and 35 years of age
- Be a Kenyan National
- Be a holder of an undergraduate degree from a recognized university
- Demonstrate desire to serving in or influencing the public sector or service/public affairs
- Demonstrate commitment, and sustained involvement (For the entire Fellowship period (12months) that impacts their community, county or country.
Selection Criteria
The following criteria will be used to evaluate applications (not in order of priority):
- A proven record of leadership, accomplishment and working with the youth in community engagement
- A demonstrated commitment to positively influence public sector, politics, community service, volunteerism, or mentorship;
- The ability to work cooperatively in diverse groups and to respect the opinions of others;
- Good social and communication skills; must be able to write
- Proactive attitude;
- A commitment to remain engaged in the community and counties.
Note:
The Fellowship is part-time and structured to allow you to take it alongside any other engagement you are currently pursuing. As such, young Kenyans on full time employment may consider applying. Youth in the public sector are highly encouraged to apply.
Application Timeline
- Monday August 16th 2021| Application opens
- Friday, September 3rd 2021 | Application closes
- September 13th, 2021 – September 17th 2021 | Oral interviews
- September 27th – Announcement of selected cohort
- November – Residential Academy dates to be communicated.
Apply through this link:-> https://bit.ly/2Uo9Wtu
Freedom of The Press: An Estranged Concept? – By Mercy Chepkemoi
Media refers to the means of mass communication, especially the press, radio, and television, but also including film and recorded music, as well as a number of distributions by way of cable, satellite, discs, and tapes. Media freedom in Kenya has always been tied to responsibilities which journalists are expected to carry for the realization of the societal common good. The emergence of new forms of journalism as a consequence of technological development and appropriations has engendered serious debate about media freedom and the practice of journalism around the world.
Good governance, an essential component of any thriving democratic state, is premised on a system of openness, trust, and government accountability. This can only be achieved if the public is involved in the process of governance. If the general public knows the functions, policies, and decisions made, they can question the government on the basis of the information obtained, and, most importantly, the reasons for the government’s actions. It is thus necessary that the government develops a clear policy on the freedom of information in a bid to ensure that subsequent legislation on freedom of information laws – is implemented effectively and based on accepted international principles and best practices.
The right to information is enshrined in Article 35 of the constitution, which provides for access to information with Article 34 providing for freedom of the media. The right to information underpins all other human rights; it is the cornerstone of all other rights. The right is encapsulated in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) under Article 19. It is similarly enshrined in the International Convention of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Kenya is a party.
Royal Media Services ran an expose in a segment ‘Guns Galore’ where the Citizen Tv journalist did an undercover episode on Police Officers allegedly renting Police Officer’s uniforms and firearms to civilians. In a press statement, DCI Director George Kinoti, discredited the expose alleging that the segment attempted to tarnish the entire National Police Service and undermine the efforts made by police officers. He further summoned the RMS editorial management team to make a statement on the allegations.
In recent months, there have been a number of accusations that the government has been cracking down on press freedom in Kenya which saw eight independent columnists resign from the Nation Newspaper citing lack of editorial independence. Journalists have reportedly been physically assaulted in their line of duty with some losing their lives while at it. In 2018, three of Kenya’s biggest TV stations were temporarily shut down after they confirmed plans to cover the mock presidential inauguration of opposition leader Raila Odinga. A move that was widely condemned internationally by the United Nations, United States, and human rights watchdogs.
The media is an important tool in the dissemination of information in Kenya. Without free media, the government could easily spread propaganda in the name of the truth. This tends to feed the masses, and in doing so, creates a utopian world where the government, in the eyes of its people blinded by the propaganda, can do no wrong to the country. The lack of care towards protecting journalists and media houses, through the passing or even the creation of laws limiting the free press, is worrying and may lead to further restrictions on freedom of the media.
Almost everyone relies on the media for information, education, and entertainment among other needs. The media, therefore, has a central role to play in the freedom of information and freedom of expression. Thus interference nubs its role on its knees.
Loans and Debts – By Isaac Murimi
Africa is often characterized by poverty. With the aim of development, these third-world countries tend to apply for foreign aid which heaps up and accumulates into billions in debt. The accumulation of bulks of loans is alarming and raising concerns. The concern is not just about the amount of debt relative to national income, but where the debt comes from. Giving an example of Kenya, the National Treasury report as of March 2018, showed that more than half (USD$24.5billion) public debt came from outside the country. Though studies show that external debt is not necessarily harmful as it can stabilize an economy and economic growth, it, however, depletes a country’s foreign exchange reserves. The depletion of a country’s foreign exchange is achieved because interest and principal repayments on external debt are made in foreign currency and this may devalue the domestic currency. In the short run, the country’s exports may lack the competitive touch hence a weak currency. When the currency is weak, it may lead to high inflation rates in the long term because it costs the country more to import what it needs for production and consumption.
How external debts pose great threats
External debts, especially foreign aids are believed to put debtors in situations that pose greater danger. Similar to Eurobonds, bilateral agreements are believed to cost a lot more than their explicit interest charge. Taking the case of China, where it is Kenya’s largest creditor, holding about 72% of the country’s bilateral debt; studies show that Kenya’s Chinese debt poses a threat because the loan agreements are not transparent, projects are not prioritized, accounting procedures are weak and it’s not clear what projects are costing. On top of this, most Chinese loans are conditional on Kenya’s acceptance of Chinese contractors. This limits the loans’ developmental impacts through potential technology transfers which could improve the country’s productive capabilities and in turn its future ability to comfortably absorb the debt burden. This kind of threat is not wholly likely to affect Kenya only. Many countries in Africa are on the verge of getting the same treatment or maybe they are facing the threat already. Giving a look at these countries’ Chinese debt is worrying. Angola is the most indebted African country to china with an estimated debt of over US$25billion. The threat that Angola is facing is that, despite it being the second-largest producer of oil in Africa, most of its oil is going towards the repayment of Chinese debt. East African countries have an estimate of over US$30 dollars debt to China which was overseen in the building of infrastructure especially roads and railway lines whose contractors are Chinese, but because of a lack of transparency and accountability, a lot of money has been lost to corruption hence threatening the East African coast from captivity by the Chinese. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could be one of the richest countries in the world considering how it is abundantly endowed with precious natural resources and minerals. However, the plundering of these resources and the unending debt to China of US$3.4 billion has set the country back.
African countries need to be cautious and prudent with the resources available within and produce for both consumptions and for exportation. Borrowed funds should be put to productive use. Investing them in improving public infrastructure would lower the cost of doing business and make a country an attractive investment destination. This in turn would bolster economic output, and therefore its ability to service the debt and, in the long run, lessen the need for additional debt.
Isaac Murimi
Contact Number: 0796962375
Social media handle @m.blizzler
Time to step up – By Gravice Luvuga
Good morning, I know many might be wondering why to specify the time to the morning when we all are going to go through this article at different times of the day or night. Actually, this is not a Good morning call indicating its morning but rather a wake-up call to the young people who for long we’ve been in slumber.
Time to wake up from the deep slumber of sitting back and letting our beloved Nation be driven anyhow while we just sit back and watch without even raising a finger. Time to wake up from sleep and dream that there are specific people who own our nation, specific people who can always make choices for us and drag us in the direction of their choice.
A wake-up call from the slumber of allowing ourselves to be used as tools and weapons by the very people we call our elders. Being used to a point of conflicting ourselves rather than encouraging and supporting one another. To a point of creating enmity amongst ourselves while the bosses are sipping expensive Champagne at five-star hotels.
Wake up from thinking that someone else will fix our nation. It’s high time we realized that it’s up to us to make the changes we desire. It’s up to us to fix our nation and realize that not involving ourselves in our country affairs is not only making us weak but also the main cause of poverty due to our own induced ignorance.
Most of us don’t even know about public participation in our county’s budget-making process hence we are greatly affected when the budget is released. We might seem to be careless but at the end of the day, we are the most affected. When we don’t air our views on how the government will allocate funds to help solve issues affecting us then for how long are we going to be left behind in poverty and distress. It’s high time we rise to the occasion, speak out on the issue of the budget, and make sure the government is allocating adequate funds to sectors that actually affect us.
The majority of the youths do not realize that we have public and private programs that are there to empower them. When each year millions are being allocated to these programs that very few know about, oh what a waste! A waste that we create for ourselves for being in a comfort zone that is nowhere close to being comfortable. A waste that we have brought by our own carelessness allowing other people to squander and benefit our own ignorance. We should wake up and explore every opportunity given to us or else we will forever be on televisions begging and accusing the government.
All of the slumber issues can be resolved by simply focusing on healthy youth leadership and representation. A healthy youth representation will only happen if we the youths start believing in our fellow youths. I was surprised by the fact that in a country where the population of the youths is huge a youth candidate couldn’t even score half the votes simply because he had little resources for his campaign. If we cannot give our fellow youths who understand the issues, we face a chance to lead simply because we’ve been ‘bought’ then when will our voices ever be heard.
We should believe in ourselves and give ourselves a chance to make a difference rather than always criticizing ourselves and looking down on ourselves. When we have leaders, who could always keep us in line by encouraging and motivating us to be actively involved in our country’s affairs and being active as well in the affairs rather than by preaching water and drinking wine, then surely enough things will not be the same for us. We have a chance in our own hands. Let’s all take it.
Finally, when we have the opportunity to be at the forefront when we’ve been given an opportunity to lead, let’s not misuse the opportunity, let’s always think about making our country better, encouraging other youths to be active in leadership and always striving to make a difference.
How to Maintain a Positive Mental Health-By Joy Ngoiri
World Health Organization (WHO) describes mental health as a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community. I describe mental health as simply having peace of mind.
We all feel sad sometimes. That is part of being human. We are often told that we need to distinguish between an emotion and a mental illness. That when someone feels sad, it does not mean someone is depressed. But where exactly do we draw the line?
Depression is described as a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think, and how you act. Depression often causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed.
With the unprecedented events of the pandemic, most people have been struggling with how to stay afloat, feelings of loneliness and anxiety and the fact is, everybody is feeling something.
There are several ways you can try to cope with negative mental health at this moment. One of the best ways that I have discovered that can do wonders in calming and slowing down your thoughts is journaling. Journaling is basically just writing or noting down your thoughts and how you’re feeling. It can be compared to writing in a diary.
It sounds childish when you think about it through writing in a diary context, but journaling has proven to be very effective in calming down racing thoughts. Sometimes you have no explanation for how you are feeling, your mind is constantly racing with thoughts and you can’t exactly pinpoint what the problem is. You end up feeling sad the whole morning, afternoon or even the whole day but when someone asks you what is wrong, you genuinely have no answer and cannot explain exactly how you feel. That is the best moment to a journal. Write down exactly your exact thoughts. Whether you note down some mumble jumble, note it down. If you feel like life is hard, write it down. If you feel like you are not good enough and your insecurities get the best of you, write it down. This will at least help these thoughts not to be crumpled in your mind.
The other method that can help you maintain positive mental health is meditation. I know the word meditation sounds exotic and something that ‘black people don’t do but meditation has been proven to be very effective in calming someone down. We have seen people who get angry a lot take a deep breath two times and calm themselves down, that is ideally a method of meditation. Meditation is a practice for settling the mind and redirecting your thoughts. It is basically getting a new sense of perspective. It is not trying to shut down your thoughts or feelings, it’s about learning to be okay with them without being insecure about them. I like to think of meditation as exercising a muscle, only it’s my mind.
It is important to note that the mind is one weird place. Your mind will wander off when meditating and this is okay. Don’t give up. It takes constant practice. There are different types of meditation and one should try what works for them. One particular site that can help with meditation is mindful.org.
Another way to keep good mental health is staying active and exercising. This is a more practical way. We have all heard stories of people who were overweight and insecure about themselves and they used that insecurity to motivate them to exercise and become a better healthier version of themselves. Exercising daily, even for 30 minutes, whether it is home exercises or gym exercises helps to improve mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative moods. Exercising also helps to improve self-esteem and cognitive function. Once your self-esteem is top-notch, your insecurities will fade away.
Most people cannot afford a gym membership, this is where home workouts come in. Home workouts are hard to follow every day. Consistency becomes hard when nobody is following up with you. However, everything is in the mind. Sounds cliché, but once you put your mind to something and determine yourself to do it, it is easy to follow up.
These three are the most commonly used ways that help in maintaining positive mental health. Never feel like you are pressured to try everything. Everything happens in its own time. However, you have to take the first step in bettering yourself for yourself and for the people around you.
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Social Activism in the 21st Century – By Billy Osogo
Simply defined, social activism is an intentional action with the goal of bringing about social change. Ergo, anyone who is fighting for change in society is an activist. From Malala Yousafzai fighting for education for girls in Pakistan; to Boniface Mwangi fighting for constitutionalism in Kenya; to Greta Thunberg fighting for immediate climate change mitigation.
In the digital era where the number of smartphone users worldwide is on the rise social activism has become a force to reckon with. Anyone armed with a smartphone can galvanize action by other citizens from anywhere in the world. Events in individual societies are increasingly capturing the attention of the world at lightning speed. The oceans and seas separating them notwithstanding.
#FreePalestine is the most recent illustration of social activism in the twenty-first century. The senseless killings of innocent children in Gaza have taken the world by storm.
The United Nations Secretary-General, in his remarks to Security Council, described the ongoing conflict as “utterly appalling”. He further said:
“The hostilities have already caused unconscionable death, immense suffering and damage to vital infrastructure. I am appalled by the increasingly large numbers of Palestinian civilian casualties, including many women and children, from Israeli strikes in Gaza. I also deplore Israeli fatalities from rockets launched from Gaza.”
Massive demonstrations have been held all across the globe demanding justice for Palestine. Protestors gathered in cities including Doha, Stuttgart, New York, Cape Town, and Paris. In Nairobi, Christians and Muslims alike staged protests in solidarity with Palestine.
With social media playing a more prominent role in access to information, political causes cut across the traditional silos of streets and sovereign boundaries. As Israel escalated its relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip, the players of the beautiful game made their position known in the ongoing conflict. Football superstar Paul Pogba and his Manchester United teammate Amad Diallo held up a Palestinian flag following Manchester United’s final home game of the season.
Elsewhere, Leicester City players Hamza Choudhury and Wesley Fofana showed support for Palestinians after winning the FA Cup final. In a video making rounds on social media, the two were seen holding the Palestinian flag.
This is not the first time the world is rallying behind the cessation of gross human rights violations and injustice. In the 1980s, anti-Apartheid protests across the world brought attention to the diabolical human rights violations manifested in the apartheid government. Although limited, President Regan would impose economic sanctions on the apartheid government following pressure from various lobby groups. The apartheid government would eventually fall and Mandela would take his rightful place as the first black President of South Africa.
In 2020, following the gruesome killing of George Floyd, Black Lives Matter protests were held across the world. 331 days later, Derek Chauvin, the office responsible, was found guilty by the Hennepin County Courthouse.
The United Nations Security Council must not wait for an Israel-Palestine version of the Sharpeville Massacre to act. Too many lives have been lost already.
In the immortal words of Dr. King:
“On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, “Is it safe?” Expediency asks the question, “Is it politic?” And Vanity comes along and asks the question, “Is it popular?” But Conscience asks the question, “Is it right?” The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience, but where he stands in moments of challenge, moments of great crisis and controversy.”
The writer is an active and concerned citizen.
Facebook: Billy Osogo
Twitter: @a_b_osogo
Repeated lies and accepted truths – By Barbra Ouma
There are always two sides to a story. A story is never complete if you don’t listen to both sides. This is especially where there are controversies or disputes but especially when it involves the death of a person. In case of an accident, if the victim survives and lives to tell their tale then that’s okay and great as well. At least the family of the victim will know what really happened and if there are things that can be avoided as well as lessons learned from the accident. But what happens to the victims that die instantly…who lives to tell their story? Who can attest to what really happened that led to the death of the victims? Their story will always be forgotten tales. No one will ever know what really happened that led to their demise.
When one loses a loved one, there are more questions than answers. Questions that only the dead can answer. Questions we carry for a lifetime. Questions that do us more harm than good. These questions hurt so deeply, pierces the heart like a knife. The questions lead us to a place that no one wishes to be in. One is left in limbo. It is hard to move away from such thoughts and only God can give you peace of mind, serenity, and tranquility that you so badly need.
COVID 19 for instance came with a bang. Like the uninvited guest, the virus came unnoticed, settled among us, and set the pace and tune which everyone dances to at the moment. The tunes may not be melodious as we all wish it should be but we forcefully have to listen to it and settle with the rhythm however boring. Every nation worldwide has been affected by the virus, so many have died and Kenya has not been spared either. There are those who have died as a result of the virus. There are those who suffered from mild headaches and died from it. There are those who have died from childbirth. At the same time, there are those who have suffered from major and minor accidents and died at the hospital, there are those who have had heart failure and died as a result. Some of these cases have been reported as COVID 19 cases thus creating stigma on the bereaved families.
Unfortunately, the dead cannot speak for themselves. The living is the one left to defend the dead. It is only the victims that can truly tell their tales but it is unlikely that anyone would listen because they cannot speak nor can their voices be heard. The stories of their struggle, suffering, and the feeling of loneliness and abandonment by their loved ones will remain untold. Only the ones who have survived the ordeal can narrate their survival journey. Sadly, the dead will always keep the pain and agony they went through when they were sick when they suffered when their heart failed. They cannot tell the world they are not COVID 19 victims as it is claimed by others. Theirs will always remain to be so only to be forgotten by others with time.
Forgotten tales are stories worth listening to and sharing the pain of the victims, but mostly it is never the case. The owners travel with them to an unknown destination and no one will ever know what truly happened. Their stories are in a safe haven but forgotten by many.
Written by Barbra Ouma from Kisumu county
Twitter: @barbaraouma18
Facebook: Barbara Ouma
COVID-19 Pandemic: Disheveled Economies, Disarrayed Polities & the Future By Sitati Wasilwa
What matters? Welfarism? Free markets? Democracy or just efficient governance systems? Individualism or communalism? The essentialism of the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be underestimated.
The COVID-19 crisis has raptured globalization, disheveled economies, disarrayed polities and reorganized societies on massive scale. Pristinely, a global economic recession is looming.
Economic recessions or crises have always led to fundamental change in politics and thence a revision of the social and economic policies adopted to transition to the next chapter. The COVID-19 pandemic manifests itself as a social, political and economic crisis.
Socially, norms and routines have been altered. People are forced to adjust to unfamiliar lives: working from home; no more feeling of camaraderie from social gatherings; for others, it’s doomsday with their jobs wiped out by the monstrous virus; for some, readjusting to realities of life in the countryside is the new normal; and certainly, worries about the fate of tomorrow dominate our lives than ever before.
Politically, the frivolous nature of greedy politicians has been exposed. Politicians are now familiar with policies and terminologies of a functional healthcare system. State capture by big business is in plain view; financial bailout programmes are mainly targeting large corporations and not small and medium-scale enterprises. Democracy and authoritarian classifications no longer matter. It is how efficiently governments around the world respond to the crisis.
Economically, it’s evident that people should matter more than profits and this ought to be the primacy of policy. Global supply chains are disrupted. Organizations are scaling down their operations and unemployment is set to rise. Living standards are bound to fall and manacles of poverty are primed to handcuff more people. Developing countries are set to rack up more debts. In short, the COVID-19 pandemic has orchestrated a reversal of economic gains.
A Reflection of the Past
History matters, and it matters a great deal! In modern world history, economic crises or pandemics of human nature have often led to political, economic and social reforms. For instance, the deadly Spanish flu that ravaged parts of the world between 1918 and 1920 occasioned public healthcare reforms.
According to Laura Spinney, the aftermath of the Spanish flu prompted governments to adopt policies seeking to provide healthcare for all. Spinney notes that the post-Spanish flu period saw Russia become the first country to establish a centralized public healthcare system, a policy imperative adopted by some Western European countries. Such a healthcare system was fully financed by a state-run insurance scheme. Creation of Sweden’s modern welfare state is significantly credited to the depredations of the Spanish flu.
Across the Atlantic, the federal government of the United States of America opted for employer-based insurance schemes as part of the post-Spanish flu healthcare reforms. In Canada, the topsy-turvydom created by the Spanish flu pandemic led to the establishment of the federal Department of Health in 1919 with the state playing a primary role in advancing public healthcare.
Although information about the origin of the Spanish flu is still unclear, the first official cases were recorded at USA Army’s Camp Funston in Kansas. Large-scale mobilization of troops during World War I is thought to have catalyzed the spread of the flu.
A report published by the Federal Bank of St. Louis in 2007 documents about the economic effects of the 1918 Spanish influenza such as closure of grocery stores, an increase in drug store activities, a rise in demand for beds and mattresses, long hours of work for physicians, and closure of mines among others.
Despite the fact that the report entirely focuses on the American state, its praxis on the significance of the nexus of the 1918 Spanish flu and a modern-day pandemic is engrossing.
Africa also bore the brunt of the Spanish flu with a research study highlighting that in the coastal region of Kenya the virus paralyzed administrative operations, created food shortage, occasioned commercial losses and overstretched the healthcare sector. In South Africa, the flu led to the death of 300,000 South Africans representing 6% of the total population.
In an article published by Reuters Magazine in 2013, Begley warns of how a flu pandemic could trigger a global recession. The news feature is based on a 2008 World Bank report highlighting that the SARS pandemic of 2009 shredded global GDP by $33 billion.
Major economic crises always spark calls for reforms. Notably, the Great Depression resulted in the formulation of the New Deal which largely aimed at addressing the plight of the common Americans. In Western Europe, the economic crisis occasioned by World War II actuated the European Recovery Programme (the Marshall Plan). These two reforms laid the foundation for the Golden Age of Capitalism although Robert Reich in his book, Supercapitalism, refers to it as “Not Quite the Golden Age” since political and economic inequality was evident among women and minority groups.
The economic recession of 1973 changed the global political economy in fundamental ways. Economist and historian Marc Levinson writes that the early 1970s marked the end of the Golden Age of Capitalism with politics moving to the Right. The decline of the Golden Age resulted from stagnated productivity growth. The shift of politics to the Right resulted in a loss in social benefits such as health insurance mostly provided by governments across Western Europe among others. As such, the implications on public healthcare were significant.
The fundamental shift in the global political systems was also embraced by the Bretton Woods institutions which embarked on missions to spread the Washington Consensus gospel in Africa through the infamous Structural Adjustment Policies (SAPs).
Failure of SAPs is evident especially in public healthcare and education systems leading to revision of the Washington Consensus with focus directed to a number of policy issues including provision of social safety nets and poverty reduction.
Financial crisis that precipitated the Great Recession in 2008/2009 led to advocacy for more government intervention in the economy with calls for provision of healthcare for all especially in developed economies. The austerity measures adopted by governments following the recession were germs for emergence of radicalized political movements across the global north.
William Davies contends that the financial crisis of 2008 failed to provoke a fundamental shift in capitalism but the COVID-19 crisis is set to bring about a sea change in the systems of global political economy based on high levels of international connectedness and the spatial nature of the pandemic. Retooling of social and economic life is certain with the pandemic serving as an inflection point “for new economic and intellectual beginnings.”
A Vision for the Future
Economic and political movements will emerge after the pandemic to vouch for reformation of healthcare systems all over the world. Governments and multi-lateral institutions will have to change their priorities and increase spending on public healthcare. Therefore, universal healthcare will emerge as a policy priority for state and non-state actors.
Governments and multi-lateral institutions reluctant to embrace healthcare for all will encounter opposition from social justice movements and disgruntled members of the public.
A paradigm shift in the systems of political economy is also bound to happen. Neoliberalism is set to reform or undergo decapitation. Political and economic ideologies that fashion people over profits will dominate public discourse. Could there be a re-emergence of democratic capitalism or will social democracy be the norm? Will the Chinese political economy model inspire states?
What is the future of big business in the global economy and national politics? Reformation of the healthcare system will most likely be derailed by the Big Pharma. Big Pharma may take hostage global politics and economics. The intricacies of the medical-industrial complex could go a notch higher.
Globalization will still be fashioned by state and non-state actors as a crucial step towards economic recovery and prosperity.
Immigration to the most affected countries especially the developed ones is set to take place. The Western world may review its immigration policies and make them friendly. But this will depend on the pace of economic recovery.
Is a new world order in the offing? Too close to call but possibilities are within the horizons; evolution and dominance of the world by the medical-industrial complex and not the military-industrial complex; the dawn of a multi-polar world; dissipation of democratic ideals and enchantment of political pragmatism; and establishment of welfare states.
Sitati Wasilwa is a political economist and consultant on governance, geopolitics and public policy at Savic Consultants and a youth leader at YMCA Kenya. Twitter: @SitatiWasilwa
Is little really better than nothing when it comes to employment in Kenya? By Sharon Laura O.
Getting a job in Kenya is hard. One goes through a lot of monkey business, it ends up as a job in itself, a job for looking for jobs.
I am shocked at just the sheer volumes of young people struggling to get employment. For the record, I am not unemployed. Sometimes though, I wonder what is the point of saying you are employed if your struggles are just the same as those unemployed?
I mean, this country in the beginning of this year introduced new taxes. Talk of turnover taxes for small business. This is over and above the taxes this government levies on businesses and Kenyans. The net effect is it leaves you with little monies that actually being employed sometimes, does feel like being unemployed.
I know of a single parent who takes home 4000 thousand Kenya shillings per month net salary. With it she is expected to feed, clothe and protect her 2 year old. The current state of economy forces Kenyans to do and be everything so as to make ends meet.
I always wonder, what if this single parent taking home Ksh. 4000 monthly quits her job, how will she survive?
Come to think of it, this is the mentality that we are forced to have. We have been conditioned to think that ‘little is better than nothing’. We are encouraged to stick with it because uncertainty of unemployment is too great.
Employers, meanwhile have learned to take advantage of this dire state of affairs. They know Kenyans will take what is being offered. Economy is bad, they tell us and something is better than nothing. So for those people who think are lucky being employed, including myself, news flash, we actually are not. I am not saying that you should quit your jobs. No. I’m only saying we live in a selfish society where the state and our laws have utterly failed to protect its citizens. We the people, have found ways of going round the problem, we have several sources of income to sustain our families
The frustrations for young people don’t end here, welcome to the home of contradictions where you study for field A but get work in field Z. I mean, each year Kenya produces thousands of graduates whose majority end up tarmacking for years and years. By the time they get a job that they studied for its seems too late as companies want higher degree or more skills. If you decide to go back to school and get this higher degree, you again seem to be too overqualified. Now this is a monkey business that needs to stop.
Recently, I went to a government building to run some errands. To my surprise, all the desks that I went to for assistance were being manned by old folks. May the good Lord forgive me but these are our grandparents who are meant to be enjoying their retirement. I enjoyed the slow service, a process that could have taken 30 minutes took 3hrs.
Most of our institutions are run by people who maybe had a certificate and as time went by, they did not see the need to go back to school. So if one goes to seek employment with the hope that their degree will be a plus, they will get a rude shock because, people at these places feel threatened by ones qualifications. They think their jobs will be taken away from them. That is why old people keep dominating while the youth keep tarmacking.
So let us face it, the economy is bad. The government is worsening the situation by taking more loans. I do not know about you but at this rate, where we are heading as this current state scares me.
Written by Sharon Laura O.
A Glimpse of the National Youth Council (Amendment) Bill 2019 By Anita Otieno
The National Youth Council Act of 2009 establishes the National Youth Council (NYC) in law. The Council comprises several members from the Ministry in charge of youth affairs, and eight youths elected by the youth in a formal set-up. The purpose of the National Youth Council is to give a voice to the youth of Kenya in a bid to have an inclusive body in the political, social and economic matters affecting the country.
A Bill, the National Youth Council Amendment Bill (2019) was introduced to Parliament to amend some provisions of the NYC, Act. Among other proposals, the Bill proposes changing the format of membership of the Council. NYC comprises 8 youths elected by the youth. The Bill proposes to change this set-up to 9 youths nominated by the Cabinet Secretary. This proposal, if passed, will undermine democracy within the Council, limiting the voice and participation of the Youth in governmental affairs.
The proposed composition of membership of NYC will curtail the very essence of the Council. The Council as is, promotes independent participation of the youth in the Council. Having the members nominated by the Executive, rather than elected by the public, undermines the independence of the youth members and that of the Council as a whole.
In a number of the most democratic countries, the members of youth councils or the equivalent entity, are elected by other youth democratically and voluntarily. The Norwegian Children and Youth Council for example, has its members elected by members of other youth organizations. The Commonwealth Youth Council also has its executive members elected by other youth.
Why then, would the Kenyan Parliament propose nomination of youth members into the Council by the Executive? Is there foul play? Do they have malicious intentions? The most probable answer would be that Parliament, through the Executive, wants to have a hand in the affairs of NYC. They intend to suppress the democratic factor of the Council, thus limiting the functions of the Council.
Should the proposed amendment go through, then the Youth of the country may no longer count on the Council to carry their concerns independently. Further, the Youth will not have confidence in the affairs of the Council and will generally doubt their integrity.
There is a general feeling of loss of confidence on the government’s focus on youth affairs in the country. Allowing the government further control on youth affairs will be therefore undesirable and will extinguish the youth’s hope on making a difference in the country’s affairs. It is therefore imminent and important that Parliament does not consider the controversial clause on changing the NYC, but rather leave it as it is.
By Anita Otieno
Issue Brief on the Proposed Amendments to the National Youth Council Bill 2019 by a Consortium of Youth Serving Organisations
Introduction
Article 55(b) of the Constitution mandates the state to take measures for the youth have opportunities to be represented and participate in political, social, economic spaces. Further on, in preparation for Africa’s youth bulge and succession planning, cognizant of best practices of the Commonwealth Youth Council, East Africa Youth Commission and Africa Youth Commission, article 55(b) necessitates an urgent move to harness the youth demographic dividend for economic prosperity of the nation.
Rationale
The National Youth Council’s mandate in fulfilling the above was structurally watered down by the amended bill of 2019 which shrinks further the democratic space of young people. Therefore, the YSO Consortium consisting of 50 national and grassroots organizations reviewed the provisions of the National Youth Council Bill 2019 and harmonized it into a memorandum with the following key provisions informing the 5-point agenda;
- Professionalization of Youth Work. Kenya is one of the commonwelath countries without a national-level policy that regulates, protects and promotes youth work as a distinct profession despite its significant youth bulge. To resolve this, we propose that the NYC will define the youth work profession model and work the MoPSYGA and other relevant stakeholders to establish locally relevant policies, procedures and mechanisms to accredit youth workers.
- Youth mainstreaming. The NYC will nominate youths into decision making bodies such as boards, agencies and other public institutions and organizations. They will also coordinate the youth agenda into national policy processes including youth mainstreaming, youth data and evidence based policy making , youth volunteerism and other relevant national development policy processes by public institutions and organizations.
- Structure and functions. The structure of the Council envisaged in the Bill transforms the Council into a national outfit that does not have any county presence. To address this, we propose the establishment of the County Youth Council, provide for its functions and powers. Secondly, the functions of the Council in the 2019 amendment bill are watered down and do not capture the spirit of a youth representative body and therefore we recommend the incorporation of functions in the 2009 Act with a few amendments.
- Corporate membership and resource mobilization. NYC funded from public coffers is hindered by lack of resources. We recommend having corporate membership as a mechanism to mobilize resources as such, Youth Serving Organization will be accredited as corporate members and will pay a subscription fee to remain in membership (provides resources and sustainability, representation) for a designate period.
- Capacity building. For the National Youth Council to transform, there must be a change in ways of engaging, therefore deliberate attempts must be mad to build capacity of council leaders to understand their role and repercussions of not executing their duties effectively.
Conclusion
In the interest of young people of the republic of Kenya, the memorandum proposes solutions to the loopholes in the 2019 Amendment Bill and seeks to gain the support of members of parliament, the initiator of the bill and citizens of good will.
By:Youth Agenda, ActionAid, PAWA254, Africa Youth Trust, Governance Pillar, Siasa Place, Nairobi County Network, AYLF, Global Platform, Young Democrats, My Leader Kenya, UJANA Africa, Red Cross, YOBBA, Activista, Nairobits Trust, Go Green, Y-Act, Emerging Leaders Foundation, World Healers Foundation, Nairobi County Youth Network, INUUA, ODBS Foundation, Youth Alive Kenya, Youth & Success Association, Akili Dada, Dada Power and Youth Senate-Kenya.
For access to the National Youth Council (Amendment) Bill 2019, check the following link:
The Magic of Storytelling through Podcasting By Cecilia Maundu
The feminist tech exchange safety reboot modules podcasts
The month is August, the year is 2018, am in Nepal for the feminist tech exchange (FTX) convening. My first time in Asia and I must say it was an amazing experience. The meeting was a four-day exchange with feminist trainers and facilitators working on digital security and engaged in building stronger and more resilient movements in a digital age. After the convening the Association for progressive communication (APC) who were the conveners of this meeting floated a grant. The participants were given an opportunity to apply for this grant. And come up with creative ideas around feminist digital security. I applied for the grant and my idea was to localize the feminist tech exchange (FTX) safety reboot modules through podcasts! Yes podcasts. Why podcasts one may ask? Well before I answer that let me give a brief introduction about the FTX training modules, their purpose and who their for. FTX safety Reboot is a training curriculum made up of several modules for trainers who work with women’s rights and sexual rights activists to use the internet safely, creatively and strategically. It is a feminist contribution to the global response to digital security capacity building and enables trainers to work with communities to engage technology with pleasure, creativity and curiosity. It is for trainers working with women’s rights and sexual rights activists on digital safety. Trainers should be familiar with the obstacles and challenges faced where misogyny, censorship and surveillance are restricting activists’ freedom of expression and ability to share information, create alternative economies, build communities of solidarity and express desires. Safety Reboot explores how the online spaces are occupied, how women are represented, how discourses and norms that contribute to discrimination and violence can be countered.
Back to the question of why I choose podcasting, to localize the modules. Well first and foremost podcasting is just one of the most engaging forms of content delivery. Podcasts is basically storytelling in the digital age, and who doesn’t love a good story? I know I do. It’s so important in this technology integrated era that we are living in today, to take advantage of the digital platforms to tell stories, our stories because if we don’t tell our stories who will?. Storytelling is about transporting your listeners to a world they had no idea existed, and it’s your responsibility to make sure you don’t lose them along the way. Actually storytelling has been in existed for centuries. From the Bible being the greatest story ever written to Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet. (Thank me later for jogging your mind). And what better way than podcasts to localize the feminists’ tech exchange safety reboot modules. I was very excited when my idea went through and it was now time to implement the idea. Have you heard of the saying easier said than done? Or in this case easier proposed than implemented? That was the space I was in. Actually I was the poster child for that statement, with this idea. But they say until you are out of your comfort zone, you will never know what you are capable of.
I started with the process of familiarizing myself with the process of creating a podcast, by listening to different podcasts and different tutorials on how to go about it. I then booked my first session in the studio. Let me just say I had assumed since am in the broadcasting industry it was going to be a walk in the park. I mean I work for a media house and we are in the business of broadcasting. So why would the production of podcast be rocket science to me? Let’s just say I was a bit wrong, underline the word a bit. I must admit my first session was challenging. You see with podcasts you assume just because it’s audio it’s just a matter of going in the studio and recording and getting out. On the contrary a lot is involved. Your listeners can pick up on your intonation, the emotion in your voice hence apart from you have to be prepared both mentally and psychologically. For someone who has not done podcasting, it’s good to know that it’s not easy, however it gets better with every episode. Let me replace the word better with interesting.
My first module was on online gender based violence, a topic that is very close to my heart. This module is about guiding participants through the issues relating to online gender-based violence – its root causes, how violence plays out on the internet, the continuum of violence that women, women-identified and queer identities experience online and offline, and its impact. The magic of FTX safety reboot modules is that a lot of group activities is incorporated in all their modules. This makes them more exciting and intriguing to the participants. And that’s the thing about incorporating activities in a training it keeps the participants more alert, and it also arouses their curiosity. After the first episode of the podcast was edited and ready to be aired I uploaded it to my Sound Cloud account and I also uploaded it on YouTube. The reason I choose two different platforms is to cater for the preferences of different audiences. The feedback I got after the first one went on air was very positive. It just fueled my desire and passion to keep going (not that I was going to stop anyway). That’s the thing about positive comments they keep you going and make you want to do better.
My second module was on creating space spaces online. This module is all about making the online space safe for the most vulnerable groups, facilitating learning and building capacity on creating safe online spaces, specifically for at-risk groups and individuals like women and sexual rights activists. I must say this was way much easier than the first one. Let’s say i was getting the hang of it!
The third module was about the “mobile safety”. In this module we work with participants to share strategies and tactics for using their mobile phones more safely in situations and contexts where they live in. How can we keep our phones safe knowing that our phones nowadays are basically our mini laptops.
Last but not least was self- care. Self-care is not a module. However the reason why included it was because it was really discussed during the FTX convening in Nepal. And thought I it was such an important issue that needed to be discussed. And just in a blink of an eye I was done, and I had to wrap up the project. The podcasts offered a comprehensive picture of different views and opinions on each module. And that’s the magic of podcasting. I must say it was a very interesting journey and truly an eye opener. This project would not have been possible without the generous funding of the Association for Progressive communication (APC). Below are the links to the podcasts.
Both on sound cloud and YouTube. Kindly listen to them, share and give me your feedback.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJAVe-Hx4pc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yErbRrVw6fU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BhPyeXmJfU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BhPyeXmJfU
https://m.soundcloud.com/user-243131473
Cecilia Maundu is a Specialist in gender digital security training and consultant with a focus on training women on how to stay safe online. She is also a broadcast journalist, as well as a User experience trainer, (UX). Collecting user information feedback and sharing it with developers all in the quest of making technology usable for digital security trainers and human rights activists. She is also the current elected secretary general of the International association of Women in radio and television.
Twitter: @ceciliamaundu | LinkedIn: cecilia maundu
Does Africa Lack Love? By Bonventure Otieno
Writing is not simple, frankly a difficult task to regularly be able to story tell. Any writer would like to have a concise, complete, up to date and reliable record. In order to get that record they have to do proper research, read and re-read before they get a first draft.
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Africa, where all states are orphans By Kaudo Philip Misori
African liberation, the realization of African nationalists’ dreams seem farfetched. Africa has never been the continent that Kwame Nkrumah, Nelson Mandela, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, Frantz Fanon wished it to be.
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Some of us have to gamble to make ends meet By Kaudo Philip Misori
In the preamble of the promulgated 2010 constitution of the Republic of Kenya, it commits to nurture and protect the well-being of the individuals, the family, communities and the nation at large. Therefore, the states through elected and nominated representatives are mandated to ensure that Kenya is a better place to be –a safe haven. However, this has not been the case. More…
TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR FINANCIAL AUDIT OF DEFEND RECORD YAKO PROJECT
Introduction
Siasa Place (SP) is a youth Non-governmental Organization (NGO), established in 2015 that specializes in working with youth and building institutional structures that support youth. Since its inception, SP has focused on youth expertise in policy review, participation in decision making processes including budget processes, and trained youth on policy making both at the national and county level, to improve and increase accountability.
Project Background
Defend Record Yako is a project aimed at capacity building youth to gain awareness on the tools and methods through which they can organize around public participation in governance and establish a working relationship with leaders to create an enabling environment for effective engagement between youth and County leaders.
Siasa Place wishes to engage an auditor to examine the finances of the Defend Record Yako project, as is stipulated in the agreement between Siasa Place and ForumCiv. The audit is to be carried out in accordance with the International Standards on Auditing (ISA) issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB).
Objectives and scope of the audit
The auditor shall examine the financial reports for the period January-December 2021 submitted to ForumCiv by Siasa Place and to express an audit opinion according to ISA 800/805 on whether the financial reporting regarding the Defend Record Yako project submitted to ForumCiv is in accordance with Siasa Place’s accounting, established budget and ForumCiv’s instructions for financial reporting as stipulated in the agreement including appendix between ForumCiv and Siasa Place.
Core Deliverables
- Follow up whether salary costs debited to the project/programme are recorded throughout the duration of the year in a systemized way and examine whether the salary costs can be verified by sufficient supporting documentation.
- Examine whether the financial report includes a comparison, for every budget item, between the actual costs/expenditures of activities and the budgeted costs/expenditures as approved by ForumCiv for the period.
- Based on materiality and risk the auditor shall examine whether there is supporting documentation related to incurred costs. Regardless of materiality of the findings the auditor shall quantify the amount for costs lacking sufficient supporting documentation.
- Examine whether foreign exchange gains/losses are disclosed as a separate item in the financial report as well as disclosed in accordance with what is stipulated in the agreement including appendices and generally accepted accounting principles.
- Siasa Place’s compliance with the applicable tax legislation with regard to taxes (e.g. PAYE) and social security fees.
- Review if outgoing balance for the previous period is the same as incoming balance for the current period.
- If Siasa Place applies a modified cash basis as accounting principle, the auditor shall describe the method used and motivate whether the applied accounting principle is acceptable for this type of financial report.
- Verify the unspent balance at the end of the financial year against accounting records and its supporting documentation.
- Verify the unspent balance that shall be repaid to ForumCiv in the final report of the last agreement year.
- Follow up whether Siasa Place has implemented recommendations from the previous audits reports of the program. The examination includes reviewing whether Siasa Place has implemented the action points as described in Siasa Place management response that has been submitted to ForumCiv in connection with audit reports. The examination also includes reviewing whether Siasa Place has followed up the action points, in all subsequent links.
- The reporting shall also include a Management letter that discloses all audit findings (significant and other findings), as well as weaknesses identified during the audit process.
- The financial report that has been subject to the audit shall be attached to the audit reporting.
- The auditor shall make recommendations to address the identified findings and weaknesses.
The responsible auditor must sign the report (not just the audit firm) and shall include the title and CPA Number of the responsible auditor. If the auditor assesses that no findings or weaknesses have been identified during the audit that would result in a Management Letter, an explanation of this assessment must be disclosed in the audit report.
Measures taken by Siasa Place to address weaknesses identified in previous audits shall also be presented in the Management Letter.
Eligibility Criteria
A firm seeking to apply should be registered in Kenya and must have been in operation for at least five (5) years providing both audit and tax services. Additionally, the firm must demonstrate experience in auditing of not-for-profit entities and organizations.
The following information should be provided:
- Copy of certificate of incorporation/registration
- PIN Certificate
- Valid certificate of tax compliance
- Valid certificate of good standing from the Institute of Certified Public Accountants Kenya (ICPAK)
Submission of proposals
Interested and eligible firms can submit a short outline methodology of how they would conduct the audit, a brief profile of the company which includes profile of past work done and budget via support@siasaplace.com
The last date for application will be on Thursday 20th January 2022, 12pm EAT
Public Transport System during the Holiday Season By Ken Ogembo
As we settle back to our work flow, in this new year. I can’t help but think of the circus that occurred during my transit to the village for the holidays.
- Drivers on phone or operating vehicle radio most of the time
One day as I was traveling from the village back to the city and was privileged to seat next to the driver of transline shuttle. For the first 4 hours, the driver was on phone more than all the passengers combined. He was either making a call, receiving a call, texting or reading a text message. While off his phone, the focus shifted to either changing radio channels, trying to search music from his phone and back to phone calls. It was a concern for me and decided to post it on Facebook and reactions received was that this was not something unique to that particular driver but a problem with shuttle drivers. A week later, I decided to use Guardian shuttle to Kisumu and it was the same trend. Distraction is a major cause of accidents on our roads. - Drivers hitting the target
As Christmas drew close, demand on transport increased and drivers got trapped into making money without considering the regulations. For instance, one driver making unprecedented 900k within 24 hours with most of them making those trips from 19th to 24th December and the same will be expected in January as the same people will be rushing back to report to work. How? A driver would start the trip by 6am in Nairobi to Kisii (300km) and leave Kisii by 2pm for Nairobi and finally have the last trip back to Kisii. That same driver will leave Kisii very early even with five passengers because filling a shuttle then was not possible if they had to make the trips and there was no waiting in Nairobi as passengers were already waiting, as one driver that I spoke to mentioned. Fatigue is among the causes of accidents regularly mentioned by the police. SACCOs can regulate just how many trips a driver can make. - Police mounting roadblocks
Do they even serve their purpose? Driver’s comradeship demanded that they informed their colleagues if there were roadblocks mounted and therefore some would change route or reduce speed for those who were over speeding. More inspiring was the fact that motorists have devised an online application updated by drivers on roadblocks to inform the road users and therefore they are able to plan accordingly whether to reduce speed or change route. Therefore, police must now embrace use of technology, invest on working their relationship with the public and invest in intelligent policing. Additionally, these very roadblocks are cash cows for the police. For instance, from Kisii to Oyugis is a distance of 25k with 5 roadblocks. All 14 seater public transport vehicles (matatus) carried more than twenty passengers with introduction of a temporary board joining right and left seats to accommodate additional passengers, locally known as ‘sambaza’ while others hanging on the door. All of them are stopped by the police and left to proceed after hefty greetings between police and the conductor or a simple salute as conductor drops Ksh 50 shillings note. According to one conductor, the police will demand for money whether you have 14 or 30 passengers and their portion is Ksh 50. So you better carry more to take care of their cost otherwise the vehicle will make nothing. If you don’t give then you will forever battle cases in court which is unnecessary. - Not reaching the destination one paid for
Oversea bus made it a routine to drop people destined to Katito in Oyugis until one day local rights activist aka boda boda teamed up and forced them to complete the journey. Passengers were returned back into the bus and the bus forced to complete the journey or face the music, they complied. Passengers from the village to Nairobi were not spared either, people with luggage which could have easily been carried by bus freely were being charged or forced to send them as a parcel hence introducing another inconvenience of collecting them a day after. What if items were perishable and could easily go bad?
What did you notice on the roads during the holiday season?
Written by Ken Ogembo – Program Manager at Siasa Place
We must imagine leadership beyond dynasties and familiar personalities by Wanjiru Nguhi
A lot of us grew up being told to either be quiet or leave the room when the grownups were speaking. And it is no surprise that our modern day politicians adopted the same lingo. They consistently tell Kenyans, who pay taxes and vote them in to either be quiet or leave the room. In most cases, they have been kicked out of the room or denied access to the building where important decisions about their lives are made.
We know we are not in that room when we see pictures of Kenyan athletes sleeping on the floor in foreign airports; see the ever increasing unemployment rates and decreasing standard of living. Mind you, they never fail to prepare us for these unbearable shifts by constantly telling us to brace ourselves for tough times.
So, what does being in the room look like? What would Kenya look like if it worked for Kenyans? Who are Kenyans without the constant gas lighting from its government, threats to comply with government orders and directives, chaos on our roads, fear of carcinogenic substances in our food?
Who are we when we are not struggling to survive, to breathe? What does Kenyan freedom look like, what is the Kenyan dream? I refuse to believe in the “resilience that produces maturity gospel” preached by our politicians. I am not a zebu cow and neither is Kenya. I reject the resilient rhetoric that makes us comfortable in our misery. I reject headlines that sentence us to: “Brace yourselves for higher fuel prices, higher price of bread, higher electricity bills,” higher this, higher that… I reject it in all of its silencing, its manipulative finality and its hopelessness. I reject resilience because we cannot dream and be resilient in the face of misery at the same time. Nothing better comes when we collectively agree to be resilient, just more things to be resilient about. It feels like people sit in a room, in our absence of course, and come up with things that demand our resilience that will eventually kill us because we cannot hold our breath any longer.
Kenyans are record breakers, inventors of M-pesa among many other things. We are the funniest people alive, see how Kenyans on Twitter (KOT) shut down the internet whenever we need to. Our artists are a constant reminder of what Kenyan beauty is and can be. When you think about the beauty of this country, think about what we could be if our government conspired with its citizens to help them prosper. We have a government that cares too deeply about how Kenya looks like to investors and tourists but does not seem to care about how Kenyans feel about being Kenyan.
Article 1(1) of Our Constitution states that all sovereign power belongs to the people. That means that we have every right to be in the room. Kenya should and must work for the Kenyan people. How do we take back this power? We must interrogate individuals who run for office and vote in leaders we know mean well for us. We must imagine leadership beyond dynasties and familiar personalities. We must take the time to study government structures and actively engage in government processes and hold them accountable to the people and the Constitution.
When we meet the Kenyans who have dedicated their lives to rejecting resilience, let us not ask them to fight on our behalf or speak for us. The work of imagining and working towards a Kenya that works for all of us cannot be delegated. It is not enough for us to become admirers of their words, their courage, and their convictions. We must all be willing and ready to ask the question, “I see what you are doing, how can I help? What can I do for this win? Then put in the work. A Kenya that works for all of us must be worked on
by every Kenyan.
I wish you a year and a decade that doesn’t give you reasons to be resilient. I wish you courage that consistently denounces survival.
Written by Wanjiru Nguhi
Co-Founder of Mwafrika Mwenzangu | Lawyer | Political Strategist | Writer | Feminist
Mary Wambui Munene, NOT FIT to serve as Board Chair NEA, Justice Makau has declared
The Employment and Labour Relations Court (ELRC) has quashed the appointment of Ms. Mary Munene Wambui on Friday, 17th January 2019 as the Chair of the National Employment Authority (NEA) on grounds the gazette notice was illegal and unconstitutional and therefore null and void.
Delivering the ruling Justice Onesmus Makau directed the appointing authority to adhere to the Constitution and other laws including NEA act if they’ll be making fresh appointments to the office.
Below is our press statement:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, January 17, 2020. Siasa Place and PAWA 254 has today welcomed the decision by the Employment and Labor Relations Court (ELRC) in Nairobi to quash the appointment of former Othaya MP, Ms. Mary Wambui’s as the Chairperson of the National Employment
Authority (NEA).
While delivering the ruling on the petitions that were filed challenging her appointment in October, 2019, Justice Onesimus Makau noted that Ms. Wambui was unqualified and that the gazettement of her appointment was irregular, unprocedural and thus unconstitutional.
He further directed that the appointing authority who is the Cabinet Secretary for Labor should follow the set out procedures and guidelines in the Constitution and the National Employment Authority (NEA) Act on the appointment of a person to the position of the chairperson of the board. He also issued a permanent injunction barring Ms. Wambui from being appointed to the post.
“The decision is a victory for the young people of Kenya given that the spirit behind the legislation was to create a platform to address the youth unemployment in the country.” says Siasa Place Executive Director, Ms Nerima Wako-Ojiwa.
Ms Wako has further called upon the Executive to take the issues facing young people seriously noting that unemployment coupled with increasing cost of living is impacting the youth negatively. She also noted that the win is big victory for the rule of law.
“I welcome the judgement by Justice Makau J for upholding the rule of law. Young people’s voice has been heard today and it has set precedence for all public appointments. Youth issues must be taken seriously.” Mbuki Mburu , PAWA 254
In October 2019, Youth serving organizations, Siasa Place and PAWA 254 were enjoined with Kenya Young Parliamentarians Association who had petitioned against the appointment of Ms. Mary Wambui Munene.
– Ends –
For more information, contact Communication Officer, Siasa Place | Tel. 0757840552 | Email: support @siasaplace.com
Also find a link to view the Judgement Petition No. 190 of 2019 – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NB8KcT-yYwtbtwQzzsaDboG190ADL0bn/view?usp=sharing
Think Different By Burns Noah
We live in a country where we anticipate, entertain and pay homage to corruption without guilt nor second thoughts. The integrity as well as the system’s sense of duty has been compromised and is vulnerable to attacks from people entrusted with responsibility. It is very unfortunate and clear that the political class is whining and fussing about the fight against corruption in a bid to secure their egotistic future ambitions. The war on corruption has been nothing but a witch hunt, an expose expedition where figures are quoted and the case will eventually be blown away by a magic wand. Surely, the burden is for us the people to carry, no aid or remedy is coming anytime soon.
When adamant, persistent people convene towards a common cause, the success rate is significantly substantial. A classic scenario is when issues went haywire for Algerians in terms of governance. They came out relentlessly in unison from all walks of life to call for the successful resignation of their former head of state Abdul Aziz Bouteflika. Across our boarder in a historical twist of events against all odds Omar AL Bashir was toppled through protest after weeks of demonstrations. The most intriguing part in the midst of all these is that the youth took the frontline in shunning despicable acts as well as being actively involved in the uprising. Corruption is ripping our society apart, it’s upon us the youth to rise up as one and take the most appropriate action as enshrined in our constitution.
Time has clearly stated that as Kenyans we are very forgetful, ignorant and don’t hold leaders accountable for their actions instead we mold an excellent audience that entertains mediocrity. The above conditions provide a lucrative environment for underhand ideas to take precedence as well as illegal businesses. For instance, today you part away with millions of public funds and you are branded an enemy of the people. Ironically, tomorrow you come with the millions for campaigns, sane citizens overwhelmingly hail your claim and elect you into office to loot billions while the same electorate languish in poverty. I challenge the youth in each and every county to ask questions, demand progress and keep their respective leaders on the watch list.
Finally, corruption goes far and beyond the political class to other fields of specialization. The perpetrators and architects of these heinous acts of corruption thrive and live among us; from distinguished public institutions, private entities to day to day activities of the Kenyan population at large. It is mandatory to embrace professionalism as well as observe ethical codes of conduct when exercising your expertise. In order to kick corruption out of our line of duty, young enthusiastic Kenyan practitioners should think differently, beyond greed for ill earned riches and wealth. We have an incredible future to orchestrate and a disgusting present to restructure, our reputation as a country is at stake
Written by Burns Noah an undergraduate at Kenyatta University pursuing BSc Petroleum Engineering
Twitter: @The_Analyst00
Do we plan some of our emergencies? By Victor Sijenyi
One will agree with me in one way or the other that, the drought and hunger situation being experienced in our nation currently is not a calamity or an emergency as being treated and mentioned by our so called leaders. It is something that we see almost annually.
Turkana county is one of the most affected counties with drought and food insecurity. Many a times, Turkana has suffered starvation frequently, not because they are lazy, not because during voting they are busy taking alcohol until they are not sober to elect, but because the leaders have a major reason behind vying for positions to serve the people but with a motive to sit over their rights and loot in the name of implementing non-existent development .
A hard fact that prevails up to date is that Turkana would be a rich county if the people would be left to extract their oils and sell as a right of ownership, but the so called leaders have sought to rule over them by making them to be beggars just to offer their resources in exchange of basic needs that their leaders have denied them. In the first place, the starvation in Turkana should be termed as a crime against humanity because it is orchestrated by the leaders who have deprived them energy and voice of unity to call for justice.
Many of the leaders who are calling for help, have subjected their people to, dams that were to be constructed and have taken over a decade and were fully paid for. These same dams have instances of requesting for more funding due to unforeseen circumstances, most qualified engineers for such projects should always give such estimations from the start. This makes it very clear who the tender winners always are.
Leaders have always been in this menace for years and even allocated funds for such emergencies, but funny enough, the county officials could not identify the national crisis. They instead responded by still organizing for cultural events. This puts it clear the kind of people we give responsibility to manage our funds and development plans.
I feel that as Kenyans, we have got too many lessons and events to learn from to make us not wait and see us suffer in the name of who we elected. We need to take precaution to be in the forefront correcting them even if the person in power is your close relative, remember that power is left here on earth you never know who will lead your children after you leave. Every county has their priorities and leaders too have theirs, these leaders will always want to support the needy to get attention on social media and the general public, in fact I encourage the public to device a way to generate support for themselves without leaving a space for such greedy leaders to take advantage of the situations.
Written by Victor Sijenyi. Victor is the Chair at Kasarani Youth Empowerment Centre and a volunteer at OAYOUTH Kenya
Email: thelegendsartsproduction@gmail.com
Would you share your food with your neighbour? By Mercy Kaponda
Last year, I was contesting for Miss Riara (my current institute of study) and all went well. In every pageant competition, the question and answer segment depending on your answers…will determine your chances of winning as either raised or lowered. What I mean is that they require brainy models. On this particular day, my question was, ‘What are the Big Four agenda?’ I knew I did not know the answer so there was literally no need of brainstorming. “Thank you for your question, I however don’t know the answer but I will go and research more on it” was how I probably framed my response.
I will skip the part where I consulted a friend afterwards who gave me answers from the tip of her tongue, very confidently. Thinking about it now, it is something funny that we would both laugh together about now, because she was not entirely right. After research, the following day I got to know the answer to the question posed. With all confidence, allow me to rephrase the answer to the question posed, “Thank you for your question, my name is Mercy Kaponda and I am currently pursuing Business Administration. These are the big four agenda; Universal healthcare, manufacturing, affordable housing and food security”
Then it got me thinking, what is Food Security? The state of having reliable access to sufficient quantity of affordable nutritious food. How do we attain Food security? Is it by producing more food or ensuring nearly zero waste of food or both? I’m here however, to talk on zero waste of food or rather minimal wastage of food. This in my opinion may lead to food security if the world’s population remains the same which might not be the case. Analysis has shown that 815 million people out of the 7.6 billion people in the world are malnourished with is about 1/10 of the world. Another study carried out by the Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology shows that 1/3 of the food produced goes to waste. Let us look at some of the statistics available, consumers in North America and Europe lose about 209-253 pounds of food annually per person and the average consumption is 4.7 pounds per person/day. I’ll be working out with the lower figure 209 pounds lost divide by 4.7 consumed daily is equivalent to 44 days which when multiplied by the total population of both N. America and Europe (1,043,067,530) is 46,383,215,695 days which is 127,077,303 years. Do I need to go on with the calculations?
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the population is 1,066,283,427. Statistics have shown that 1 out of 4 people in Sub-Saharan Africa are malnourished, which is approximately 299 million people. From my own analysis, the consumption rate of an African is 1.3 kilograms per person/day while the amount of food lost annually by the above is 6-11 kilograms. Working with the lower value 6 kilograms divide by 1.3 kilograms is equivalent to 4 days which when multiplied by the 767,283,427 non-malnourished people is 3,0691,133,708 days.
Here are a few tips to ensure minimum waste of food. Cook less and only what you need. I am a victim of cooking excessive food and putting it into the refrigerator and eventually throwing it away to the hens. Share food. Instead of throwing food away, share the food with your neighbor. I know this is awkward in these times, so why not share with a person on the street. Also, changing consumption behaviors such as discarding unappealing food which I am a huge victim. Food is meant to be eaten at the end of the day not to be perfect. To add to that, restaurants can opt for natural preservatives other than artificial ones as they are more effective and healthy. Using fresh ingredients also helps food last longer.
Lastly, I attended an event recently at a certain hotel. After everyone served and headed for their homes, the amount of food left was a lot which would all be thrown away. The hospitality industry should come up with ways for their customers to carry the food. Such hotels can give guidelines on how one can preserve the food and sign disclaimers with their customers in case the food goes bad in their hands. I believe we can all try one of these tips as the little steps is what matters; as the Chinese proverbs says, “One step at a time is good walking”
Written by Mercy Kaponda
Email: mercykaponda98@gmail.com
The Basic Need for Digital Security by Cecilia Maundu
Never has there been a need for digital security as the present time. When I embarked on a journey to become a digital security trainer, my mail goal was to help keep women and young girls safe online.
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Dents that ail public transport in Nairobi By Ken Ogembo
Four months since Railways bus terminus became my drop off here in the CBD. One noticeable aspect was the dents on public transport vehicles at the stage, which can only be associated to either inadequate transport policy or failure in the implementation.
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What difference will it make if the women representatives position is scrapped off? By Kaudo Philip
With the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, Kenyans foresaw a new nation. We did hope that it was just a matter of time for Kenya to progress from a developing to a developed nation. A new Kenya was indeed dawning.
Some of us have to gamble to make ends meet By Kaudo Philip Misori
In the preamble of the promulgated 2010 constitution of the Republic of Kenya, it commits to nurture and protect the well-being of the individuals, the family, communities and the nation at large. Therefore, the states through elected and nominated representatives are mandated to ensure that Kenya is a better place to be –a safe haven. However, this has not been the case. More…