Dear Mr President, Greetings Your Excellency! First, congratulations on your State of The Nation address delivered so eloquently. I also wish to apologise for the ear-piercing whistle-blowing charade you were treated to on that day. Out here, we go through such, even worse, on a daily basis as we board matatus to and from work. Mr President, you spoke well, but there is a small matter I wish to call your attention to, because I think it should worry you. It is about the youth. Allow me, good sir, to, in few words, bring you the ‘State of The Youth Nation.’ It is a sorry state. Of the 10 pledges you made to the youth in the Jubilee manifesto, only one has been achieved, albeit partially - three years later. The youth of Kenya have not seen the one million jobs promised, not even the institutes of technology in every ward. We are yet to see the rationalisation of remuneration, we are still paid poorly. There is no talent identification framework and yes, though the education curriculum is under review, no one cared to ask us for our opinion. You said 2.5 per cent of national revenue will go towards ‘a youth fund’ annually. That is yet to be done. You promised 30 per cent of government tenders to the youth, but your officers have refused to heed your order - tenders are either given to cronies or sold. There is no policy on internship, no innovation centres, no nothing! Your Excellency, for the first time in two decades, the Cabinet has no youth as provided in law. It is only the other day that you appointed one as Principle Secretary. We are grateful for that single slot. The same situation is replicated in the appointment of parastatal heads. For three years, Your Excellency, the government you head has had no policy document on youth. The National Youth Policy has been due for review for three years now. The Youth Martial Plan was shelved. Your manifesto, sir, promised to within one year undertake a national youth audit of skills and competencies. Three years later, it is yet to see light of day. In organising your government, you first abolished the Youth ministry, then re-introduced it last year. This portrays you as experimentalist, Mr President. The Directorate of Youth Affairs (DYA) which you created has never been funded. On the other hand, the youth function has never been harmonised. It is not categorised as national, county or a shared function. There is no coordination or framework, and as such, every level of government does as it pleases with the youth. See also: Why President Museveni should let his oil flow through Kenya Programmatically speaking, all youth focused programmes today are either riddled with corruption, management woes or not funded. The Youth Enterprise Development Fund has been robbed clean and is in the Intensive Care Unit. The National Youth Council was never operationalised. Established to act as a policy, research and advocacy unit on all youth issues in the country, the council was a case of ‘dead on arrival,’ denying the youth an institutional voice. The National Youth Service (NYS) was turning out well till it got hit by massive graft cases. Apparently, NYS had been turned into a petty cash kitty for some people. The only thing you have done well is Uwezo Fund, Mr President. I know they have told you that all is well in your youth kraal; but as you can see, the youth are no longer at ease. In fact, they might just launch an ‘Operation Okoa Mayouth’ campaign to right things. Thank you Mr President

President Uhuru Kenyatta once told Kenyans that “security begins with you.” But Kenyans have been hiding weapons in their cars even long before that presidential speech. But who wouldn’t, after all, you are likely to face off with rogue matatu drivers on Kenyan roads.
These weapons also come handy when you stop along Kinare Forest along the Nairobi-Naivasha Highway due to heavy fog, and local ‘personal property retrievers’ decide to execute an ambush.
Here are 10 weapons Kenyans keep in their cars:

1. Nyahunyo nyeusi
Nothing motivates a stubborn boda boda rider to get off the road than a whiplash on his back. Many prefer nyahunyos because they can be easily concealed under the seat or in the glove compartment.
2. Empty chupas, mawe
Many women carry empty soda bottles in their cars (and handbags) for easy breaking on an offender’s head, especially those obstinate makangas of Githurai 45, Mwiki and Embakasi routes in Nairobi. Well-rounded stone missiles are the weapons of choice to smash the windshields of guilty motorists who speed away from an accident scene.
3. Somali swords
This is favoured by truck drivers, who prefer it because it is impossible to drive from Mombasa to Lubumbashi without encountering some form of road rage. This is a sure deterrent.
4. Bolted rungus
The round-head rungus with a bolt at the top can cause massive damage by cracking some kichwa ngumu! Surprisingly, these dangerous weapons are hawked like boiled eggs with no law barring their acquisition.
5. Golf clubs
Some social high climbers resort to expensive golf rungus, especially when delayed by some nincompoop on their way to a game.
6. Bakora swords
These are mostly used by angry drivers who have been hit by boda bodas who can’t pay for a brand new BMW’s side mirror, and thus use the bakora sword to slash the motorcycle’s  tyres!
7. Mguu ya kuku
There is a breed of people who will whip out their mguu ya kuku (gun) if you as much as get an inch closer to their aged Toyota Platz. They seem to get a kick out of pointing guns at people’s heads and then watch the freaked out drivers swerve off the road.
8. Pepper spray 
This is mainly carried by women who use it to immobilise any potential threat by aiming at an assailant’s eyes, leaving him writhing in agony.
9. ‘Tool box armoury
The hammer, wheel spanner, long screw driver and even a wrench that would ideally snuggle in a tool box, are ideal for hand-to-hand combat along Jogoo Road where obohos might mill around a scene of accident planning to yank off the stereo.

10. Swiss knives:
These multi-purpose army knives which are used for outdoor camping are great for self-defence and can be hidden in the cusp of the hand for surprise attacks. Whooooa! Maskio chini!