A youth lobby group based at Teachers estate, Nakuru East, has condemned recent remarks and subsequent harassment of youth in the area by government security personnel.
The group’s leaders were reacting to remarks made by area chief Mary Kamau who during a recent public baraza allegedly termed local youth as “lazy alcoholics’’ indulging in criminal activities thus causing insecurity in the area.
The chief has since led local police in a crackdown on illicit brews and cheap alcohol selling joints in the area believed to harbour idling youth who have been arrested and illicit brews destroyed.
Martin Gitonga, chairman of Mawanga Youth Agenda (MYA) while defending the youth, said local leaders had failed to initiate development programmes to employ the youth. He termed the remarks by the security team as “unfortunate and reckless”. He challenged local leaders to implement their election campaign promises of creating job opportunities for local youth.
Flanked by the secretary general of the youth group, Ann Nyawira and the vice chair Amos Otieno, Gitonga said that local youth have to deal with unsteady jobs, a fact that renders them poor and frustrated in life.
He said this is why they get hooked to drugs and alcohol.
The officials said that the local leaders including the area MCAs, MPs and the governor had promised to initiate development projects to create employment to the local youth but they have never come back to address the issue since they were elected.
“You cannot judge without looking at the background. Our youth have been failed by local leaders and government. We are forced to earn a living at construction sites, touting and hawking among others,” he said.
The youth leaders termed the alcohol den raids as extortion scams since police demand money from those arrested before releasing them. They now want local elected leaders to intervene to save the situation.