County prioritises youth in the Climate Action Agenda

Uasin Gishu

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

KNA by Ekuwam Sylvester

Uasin Gishu County government has affirmed its commitment in speeding up the adoption into law of Youth Service Policy which will inform the inclusion of youth in the county programmes particularly to bolster efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change.

The policy, which is in its final stages of becoming law, will offer legal frameworks for, among others, ratifying programmes to tackle climate change.

During the International Youth Day in Uasin Gishu County, Governor Jonathan Chelilim pointed out that the youth have the potential to help in efforts to solve climate change and that the enactment of the draft policy which has delayed since 2018 would give directions on how the youth could take part in various programmes especially on the issue of climate action.

He alluded that the policy has been engineered to create ways through which youth could be empowered to be the segment that would help end the effects of climate change.

Governor Chelilim reiterated that his administration, through the youth policy, would put youth on the frontline for climate action campaigns as he called on the youth to use their technological knowledge to collect and analyse data and introduce innovations to combat climate change.

"You are the architects of our tomorrow; therefore, the world relies on you. Use technology to make innovations that will assist in mitigating the effects of climate change," he said.

He further underscored youth empowerment programmes that his government is undertaking like organizing tourneys to identify and nurture talent, free internet to assist youth pick digital employment and youth getting up to 30 percent in reserved procurement opportunities all inspired by the slogan "Vijana ni Nguzo Tuwakuze."

On his part, Tarakwa Member of the County Assembly (MCA) Thomas Yego who is also a member of the Assembly's Sports and Youth Committee assured that programmes and legislations that sought to empower the youth would be supported.

County Executive for Youth, Sports ICT and Innovation Eng. Lucy Ng'endo urged the youth to take advantage and fully utilise the empowerment programmes the county runs to support the youth.

Uasin Gishu Youth Chairperson Collins Kemboi who is also the Executive Director for the Soy Moiben Ainabkoi Turbo Kapseret Kesses Youth (SMATKKEY) group, said that they were advocating for the youth service policy enactment by the county administration noting that the youth are ready to take part and support the county in its efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change.

“In line with this year’s youth day theme ‘Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World’ as the world embarks on a green transition, the young people can participate and contribute to the success of greening the world by planting more trees and proper waste management practices,” he said.

He noted that the youth in the county have done a lot of activities to fight climate change like planting trees in social institutions like schools and have mobilized the communities on responsible practices of waste disposal to ensure a clean and conducive living environment.

“It is my appeal to the county government of Uasin Gishu as they have formed a climate action plan, it is important for them to engage the residents especially the youth up to the ward level, to utilize the energy the young people have by motivating and informing them on their role in terms contributing to the climate action,” said Kemboi.

He further stated that the youth service policy, if adopted into law, would give the youth who form 75 percent of the total population in the county, a clear framework and roadmap on how to articulate and advocate their issues and enable them to give their input in some sectors touching on youth like sports and others.

“We need to see a clear framework through the youth policy, where the young people are included in various appointments. We would like to see this framework bringing clarity in terms of building the youthful structures of leadership from sub location to the county level,” noted Kemboi.

Courtesy ; K. N. A