Kenya: We Ignore the Youth at Our Peril
A unique feature of the “Occupy Parliament” protests at Parliament buildings on May 14, 2013 was the youthful faces that seemed undeterred by the heavy presence of the country’s security forces. Listening to the young people who were interviewed about the protests express their deep disappointment in the elected members of parliament stirred up a sense of foreboding within my heart. Kenya’s youth are getting frustrated, they are crying out for attention, they are pleading for help, for someone to stop and listen to them but we are all too busy to stop and listen to them. The nation is engrossed in everything else except in the youth. My take: we are sitting on a time bomb whose ticking increases in intensity in the face of joblessness, anger, frustration, anger, poverty, sickness and death. The youth are crying out, and unfortunately, no one is paying attention. Sometimes I hear talk about Vision 2030 and I must confess that for me this seems like an elitist dream bec...