UDA launches youth empowerment initiative through Comrades Chapter

By Robert Mutasi 

What could be termed a bold step toward increasing the level of youth participation in leadership, the United Democratic Alliance announced through its Secretary General Hassan Omar Hassan the intention of creating a UDA Political Academy. 

This was announced during a town hall forum at Kunste Hotel, where youth drawn from several institutions were brought together to interact with the party leadership.

Hassan Omar explained that the party was committed to grooming future leaders: "In the next few weeks, the party is going to acquire land to build the UDA Political Academy. We will start a syllabus, a curriculum that gives you that transition from the various aspects of leadership to national leadership."

The declaration was met with applause from the youthful crowd, signaling their endorsement of the party's vision to equip them with essential political and leadership skills.

The UDA Comrades Chapter, part of the broader agenda by the Kenya Kwanza government, is intended to ensure the incorporation of youth into active governance and political processes.

Hassan added that this mentorship needs to come from current leaders in support of the next generation.

"Those of you who have been given the ladder to move up political leadership must also provide that ladder to the youth so that they can become governors, presidents, and all that," he said.

The UDA Programs Department has declared that the academy will have a tailor-made program intended to promote inclusivity and input from the youth regarding decisions on the country's future.

According to a circular released by the department, university and college students across the country shall be covered under the program.

"Our target constituency is university and college students from all over the country. The party's reason for creating this youth-led organ is based on the realization that Kenyan comrade youths experience numerous interlinked challenges that are very influential in their livelihoods and futures," read part of the circular.

As a recipe for inclusiveness, the party has mapped out a number of town hall meetings across Kenya, delineated into 10 regions.

These will be town hall meetings that are meant to engage the youth in issues affecting them after the official launch.

As a matter of fact, what the UDA wants to achieve is offer the youth an avenue through which they can have one-on-one conversations with political leaders regarding their concerns and aspirations.

The establishment of the UDA Comrades Chapter forms part of the wide commitment by the Kenya Kwanza government toward embracing all-inclusive governance, especially in ensuring the empowerment of the youth.

The effort alone just goes to demonstrate that the party sincerely believes young leaders are key in determining Kenya's future political and socio-economic landscape.