Open letter to Uhuru Kenyatta- Mr. President, you’ve let down the youth

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.

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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