Daily Archives: 2022-09-07

The National Election Conference was held for two days at the Kenya International Convention Centre (KICC) Kenya in collaboration with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commision  and among various stakeholders from 11th to 12th July 2022. The event aimed at moving Kenya into a stronger democracy.

The conference highlighted significant advancements made by Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Kenya towards the 2022 general elections.

“Youth are more likely to trust the electoral process as a result. Therefore, on August 9th, we should cast a huge number of votes for the leaders of our choosing, ” said Mr Roy Sasaka Telewa.

The National Youth Council focused on the role of youth in a democracy, particularly in the electoral process and which can not be underestimated. Therefore, together with other youth serving organizations we were committed towards increasing youth participation in the upcoming 2022 general elections.

The 3rd African Peer Review Mechanism Youth symposium took place in Kampala, Uganda from 4th to 9th July 2022. The symposium attracted over 400 youths across Africa that would resonate around developing recommendations for empowering youth participation in governance.

The theme  was repositioning the youth agenda for a transformative continent that seeks to empower the Youth to participate in governance, leadership & development.

Among the representatives was CEO of the National Youth Council Mr Roy Sasaka Telewa, the Secretary of Youth Affairsof the State Department of Youth ,Mr Raymond Ochieng, the Prime Minister of Uganda Rt. Hon Robinnah Nabbanja and among other key delegates.

In his remarks, Mr Roy Sasaka Telewa said efforts to connect African traders across countries should deliberately include youth-led businesses.Opportunity exists for the emergence of youth-focused cooperatives to aggregate demand and lower costs of trade through economies of scale.

The symposium aimed at African youths to take up spaces that would challenge unemployment and also participate in decision making processes.

In line with the National Youth Council key policy advocacy development mandate and commitment, NYC joined ONE Campaign during their #JobsNowAfrica Campaign launch (Kenya Chapter) on 5th July 2022.

Since the pandemic, more young Africans have been laid off than ever before. To address the pressing and growing issue of unemployment, the launch of Jobs Now Africa, with the goal of creating 15 million decent jobs in Africa each year by 2025.

The #JobsNowAfrica reflected on the available opportunities and that there’s strength in working together. All Employers, job seekers and the government must come together to create decent job opportunities.

Among the representatives during the launch were the National Youth Council, Mr Peter Quest from the Kenya School of Government and keynote speakers from One Campaign.

The National Youth Council has collaborated with National Authority for Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) to commence the #SautiYetu initiative at Mombasa Polytechnic.

Among the keynote speakers were CEO of National Youth Council Mr Roy Sasaka Telewa, members of the National Youth Council Advisory Board; Ms Angel Mbuthia and Ms Aisha Mohammed and Youth Fund Kenya delegates.

Mr Roy Sasaka Telewa urged young people to turn out in huge numbers and elect officials who will put their interests first. In particular, during 2022 general elections , he underlined the necessity for youth to complete their generational course of championing peace.

The Kenyatta International Conference Center hosted the National Youth Prayer and Peace Festival. The Conference Center on 7th of August 2022 was the culmination of various efforts.

The interventions were taken to increase meaningful youth participation in the election process. The National Youth Council, in collaboration with the IEBC Youth Coordinating Committee, Committee and the Youth Serving Organizations Consortium had undertaken activities in ten counties across the country to achieve the goals outlined below; contributing to a peaceful election by mobilizing young people: keep the peace during and after the general election, and increasing youth participation in electoral processes as potential candidates or as conscientious voters capable of electing the right leaders.

The event targeted and hosted multiple stakeholders including Kenyan youth, electoral management body leaders from 3 countries, development partners, youth serving organizations, political party youth leagues and young leaders in government and ministries and development agencies (MDAs).

Esha Mohammed, NYC Board Member, took a minute to take the audience through a documentary that showed victims of the 2007/08 post-election violence. Reminding young people why they would never want to be a part of violence ever again and how we should always treasure peace.

NYC CEO Roy Sasaka spoke about how the National Youth Council is actively working to create a culture of peace, and how they have collaborated with various stakeholders to improve peace in the country. They have also collaborated with Spread Truth Africa to lead the restoration of peace in Kerio Valley, which has recently experienced intertribal conflict. Finally, they talked about the youth policy dialogue and how they got various national leaders to commit to maintaining and promoting peace and unity during and after the elections.

Finally, Ms. Nadia Abdalla, Cabinet Assistant Secretary, shared that as young people, our main priority should be to seek change. “There is a Kenya beyond the ballot box, so let us focus our efforts on building a better Kenya,” and that youth are the driving force behind the economy. “There is Kenya beyond the ballot,” she shared, adding that it is our responsibility to maintain peace, inclusion, and diversity in Kenya. “Kenya is love,” she said, encouraging peace. She read her peace pledge for peaceful elections.

The festival proceeded with artists Size 8, Avril, Wyre, Trio Mio, and Mercy Masika being present and performing peace songs. There were also presentations made by upcoming artists.

Globally, our financial systems are being fundamentally altered by climate change. According to experts, investors can optimize their impact on the transition to a net-zero economy and increase profits for both people and the environment.

The need for a better understanding of Climate Change and sustainable investment in this sector has led to the Africa and Climate Change Forum – Road map to COP27 being held at Boma Inn Hotel, in Nairobi, Kenya from 21st – 22nd July 2022.

The overall objective of the conference is to address the loopholes facing the mitigation and adaptation in tackling climate change in Kenya and Africa ahead of the 27th session of the Conference of Parties (COP27). COP27 is a historical event in Africa, as the world heads toward the next UN Climate Change Conference, which will take place in November in Sharma El-Sheikh, Egypt  – the fourth African country to host the annual event since 1995.

Among the representatives will be from the National Youth Council in partnership with Switch Media, Climate Change experts, decision-makers, climate and social scientists, development economists, policymakers, ambassadors, negotiators, and advocates.

The event will provide a variety of panel discussions, keynote addresses and presentations from keynote speakers.

This forum has emerged as a powerful tool in the fight against climate change, enabling transformative change to safeguard the planet and eco-systems restoration. It presents a great opportunity for Africa’s cooperation and global sharing of experience on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Globally, our financial systems are being fundamentally altered by climate change. According to experts, investors can optimize their impact on the transition to a net-zero economy and increase profits for both people and the environment.

The need for a better understanding of Climate Change and sustainable investment in this sector has led to the Africa and Climate Change Forum – Road map to COP27 being held at Boma Inn Hotel, in Nairobi, Kenya from 21st – 22nd July 2022.

The overall objective of the conference is to address the loopholes facing the mitigation and adaptation in tackling climate change in Kenya and Africa ahead of the 27th session of the Conference of Parties (COP27). COP27 is a historical event in Africa, as the world heads toward the next UN Climate Change Conference, which will take place in November in Sharma El-Sheikh, Egypt  – the fourth African country to host the annual event since 1995.

Among the representatives will be from the National Youth Council in partnership with Switch Media, Climate Change experts, decision-makers, climate and social scientists, development economists, policymakers, ambassadors, negotiators, and advocates.

The event will provide a variety of panel discussions, keynote addresses and presentations from keynote speakers.

This forum has emerged as a powerful tool in the fight against climate change, enabling transformative change to safeguard the planet and eco-systems restoration. It presents a great opportunity for Africa’s cooperation and global sharing of experience on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The YSO project brings together 15 youth-serving organizations with the goal of speaking with one voice and addressing issues affecting young people in Kenya, as well as advocating for improved service delivery.

The Youth Serving Organization Strategic Plan Launch 2022/2026 took place on 8th July 2022. The plan was geared towards  mainstreaming youth participation and issue-driven democracy.

Among the representatives were fellow youth leaders , CEO of the National Youth Council, Mr Roy Sasaka Telewa, IEBC-YCC chair Mr.Joel Mwita and Siasa Place Executive Director, Ms Nelima Wako.

The National Youth Council in partnership with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commision held a two (2) day dubbed Training of Trainers (TOT) program on Election Administration and Operations in collaboration with the Youth Empowerment and Development Network (YED NETWORK). The training started from 16th June 2022 in Kisumu to 17th July 2022 in Mombasa marking the end of the training across 8 regions in the country.

The training’s goal was to provide trainers with the knowledge and skills they needed to effectively disseminate correct information and knowledge to the public about the electoral process, election regulations, and procedures.

The formation of a network at the grassroots level gives the organization an advantage in rolling out activities and imparting knowledge on the electoral process to the youth.

The Master TOT voter education modules were presented to the participants. They also participated in the Voter Simulation exercise designed by IEBC for voter education at the training facility.

Voter education is a process that will necessitate a significant commitment from all stakeholders in order to ensure a free, fair, and credible election on August 9th, 2022.

The training helped the volunteers become acquainted with IEBC voter education policies and procedures, the voting process, and how to use the voting kits. Furthermore, the trainees were taught how to use social media platforms and voter education documents to raise awareness.

By raising awareness, the youths were given the tools they needed to participate in the elections. The trainees were taught how to use the documentation for voter education such as the Constitution, representation at national and county governments, Political rights, Political Parties, Independent electoral and boundaries commission, Electoral laws, Electoral cycle, Delimitation of electoral boundaries, Leadership, and good governance.

They were also educated on the IEBC’s voting policies and procedures. Trainees gained skills at the end of the training that they could then use to mobilize other youth to vote in the election.