President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday advised Kenya’s youth not to be led astray by politicians whose careers are built on division and manipulation.
The President said the future of Kenya belongs to the youth and it is the responsibility of all leaders to prepare them to be the new heroes of the country.
President Kenyatta, who spoke at the Nyayo National Stadium when he led Kenyans during this year’s Jamhuri Day Celebrations, urged the youth to reject being used by politicians for their selfish gains.
“That our young people have not reached the heights our founders attained is not their fault. Too often, we see leaders who exploit their energy and eagerness to reduce them to poverty, and to drive them to violence,” said the President.
And quoting words from the Bible, the President said “Let no man despise your youth. Let no one make a fool of you. Let no one steal these years from you.”
President Kenyatta said his administration understands the value of the Kenyan youth and that was why it set out a vision for them.
“The Kenya of the future is an industrialised country which does not just consume the products of other nations… It is our young people who will be the driver of this transformation,” said the President.
He said the Jubilee Government has rolled out many measures to ensure the youth are equipped for today’s world.
The President said one of the areas the Government has invest huge resources include education where it has ensured every public primary school has electricity.
He said the Government has worked so hard to reform the education system, and to preserve the integrity of public examinations.
On education still, President Kenyatta said the Government has invested so much in technical education that is an important foundation for industrialisation.
“The objective of all these efforts is to create a sufficient number of jobs for the young people we have educated,” said the President.
The President said Kenya is in better shape today than it was before and is on course to industrialize.
“Plants that had once lain dormant have been refurbished. For example, the first phase of the revival of Panpaper is due for commissioning. And by the time we meet again to celebrate Jamhuri, the revival of Rivatex will be complete,” said the President.
He said the digital learning project is being rolled out and 80,000 teachers have been trained, and digital content finalised.
The President said by next year, every child from Standard 1 to Standard 3 will have access to the digital devices, bringing digital learning to every corner of the Republic.
“Our children will take their place alongside those from the richest nations, ready to compete with them,” said the President.
He affirmed his commitment to seeing devolution have a bigger impact on the lives of Kenyans.
The Head of State said the transition to devolution has been a success and Kenya embraced all aspects of devolution with unmatched speed and commitment.
The President said devolution is the surest way of achieving an equitable society if it is well managed.
He said that massive amounts of resources have been transferred to the counties since the inception of devolution.
“The numbers demonstrate this progress. Over a trillion Kenya shillings has been transferred to the counties, both directly and in the form of conditional grants,” said the President.
The President said he will continue issuing criticism whenever those in charge of devolved processes go wrong.
“Our job as parents of devolution is to nurture it: to criticize bad habits; to encourage good ones; and to keep faith that one day, this child will mature,” said the President.
By PSCU.