11. Youth and Children

(i) Youth

Although the Kenyan youth constitute about 70% of the national population and are an important resource in the growth and the development of this country, the majority of them are faced with many challenges with unemployment in all its many forms being the most critical of them all. They also lack skills and a value system which has led to disillusionment among many of them. This segment of the Kenyan population has been a victim of many years of neglect that current efforts to bring them to the mainstream are considered a drop in the ocean. Evidently, more needs to be done in order to tap the immense potential of the youth of this country for the present as well as future good of our motherland. FORD People stands for healthy, responsible, resourceful and productive youth that are well balanced and imbued with capacity to constructively participate in the development and governance matters of the country while at the same time allowing them to realize their full potential in all spheres of life. Knowing the great and untapped potential of the youth of this country, a FORD-People government will:

▪ Strengthen existing institutions of higher learning to ensure they equip the youth with the necessary knowledge and skills to make them productive therefore patriotic citizens.

▪ Employ affirmative action as a measure to ensure that the youth are involved in leadership and governance matters by providing them with representation at all levels.

▪ Advocate for equitable distribution of the youth development fund and other forms of financial assistance with a view to empowering the youth economically and engaging them in wealth creation.

▪ Expand and strengthen existing youth rehabilitation centres to reform those that have been involved in crime and drug abuse.

▪ Construct sport and recreation facilities to nurture sporting talent among the youth both as a form of entertainment and as paths to successful careers.

▪ Educate and sensitize the youth on matters of reproductive health, human rights, leadership and responsible citizenship.

(ii) Children

Today, the government has made many strides in bringing issues affecting children to the fore but a lot still needs to be done. For instance, though the offer of free primary education is supposed to have galvanised every caring parent into action, some have to be hauled to court as a way of making them understand that a child needs education, first and foremost. Further, in spite of the children’s act 2001, the Kenyan child still bears the burden of many atrocities visited upon him/her by those who are supposed to look after them. A FORD-People government would like to see a Kenya in which all children grow up into adulthood with proper foregrounding in acceptable cultural values and societal norms whose culmination should be properly adjusted and responsible citizens. To effectively address issues affecting the children in this country, a FORD-People government will vigorously pursue the following:

▪ Guarantee the rights and freedoms of the child, as enunciated in the Children’s Act 2001, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child including other relevant international instruments to which Kenya is a signatory are respected and implemented.

▪ Ensure a conducive environment for the learning and growth of the child

▪ Protect the child from all manner of abuse and misuse thereby guaranteeing a smooth passage into maturity as all rounded citizens

▪ Take deliberate steps to make plans into the future that seek to prepare for the child by way of forward planning

▪ Use today’s resources in such manner that ensures their sustainability into the future for the benefit of the child

▪ Ensure that all government authorities in planning for physical facilities include recreational grounds for children all over the republic

▪ Establish children homes that meet international standards for taking care of destitute and orphaned children

▪ Ensure the availability and easy access by all school going children to learning facilities across the country

▪ Establish guidance and counselling centres in strategic places to help children that are in families faced with conflict