Funding Youth Development: Musings Continued
Is Kenya making progress in addressing the issues and needs of its young people?In the reorganization of Government following the 2002 General Elections, the Government of President Mwai Kibaki established the Ministry of Youth Affairs in the Office of the President. This was a first in Kenya's history - that there was an institution established to cater for a specific population demographic. Even women haven't had this privelege, as they continue to be bulkanised at one time with children, at another with sports, at another time with Social Services.
This Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports as it is now known is a hub of activity. The first and late Permanent Secretary Major Kinuthia Murugu (RIP) was an energetic, visionary man of action. He set up the Ministry headquarters in a matter of months and initiated a planning process whose results are evident today. Notwithstanding the criticism on those recruited as youth workers (officially referred to a youth officers) or the age represenation within the Ministry, the strategic plan suggests that good things have happened for young people in Kenya. The challenge now is for the Ministry to step up, set itself apart from the rest of the Government agencies and report to its constituents how well it has fared in implementing the strategic plan which it consulted far and wide to develop. Kenya needs to know how public funds have addressed the issues and nees of its young people in the last five years. Riding on the back of the establishement of the Ministry was the launch of the Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF) in 2006 in a high level event at the KICC, Nairobi. Presided by H.E. President Mwai Kibaki and hosted by then Ministry of Youth Affairs Hon. Dr. Mohammed Kuti. The Government committed KShs 1 Billion to a revolving fund in support of youth enteprise. Any budding young entrepreneur from any corner of the country now had access to funds either directly at the Constituency level or from 33 financial intermediaries such as banks and cooperatives spread across the country. The loan terms were "youth friendly". Alas! Three years later, there is hue and cry over access to the funds, and terms demanded by financial institutions; although the YEDF Board boasts success in enterprises established or boosted, they fail to specify indicators of growth either by industry, sector or even number of new jobs created through the Fund. As a good enteprise should, the Fund releases reports to its "stakeholders" - the Members of Parliament (MPs) ever quarter. Few young people know of or access the Fund Status report. The YEDF Board and Secretariat staff say that it is "available on the website". Tell that to the young man in Marsabit who bothers to find out about CDF allocations which are posted on notice boards locally. Even if he wanted to, he has little access to this information, even through his youth officer - who probably knows as much as he does i.e. allocation to the constituency and number of youth groups that have benefitted. The Fund report as at 30 October 2009 states that KShs 2, 250,000 has been released since the Fund's inception in 2006/2007 FY. Exactly 8, 586 youth groups in all provinces (and assumed all constituencies) have benefitted from the revolving constituency allocation of KShs 2 million per constituency. over 376million has been disbursed. The financial intermediaries have reached 66, 330 beneficiaries with about KShs 2 billion. So we know that public funds have been dedicated to and reach youth across Kenya. The question remains, has it addressed the issues and needs of youth in Kenya? How have we as a Nation measured this response/progress against the investment? Are we making strides or sticking in the mud? What has been the place of development partners and NGOs to ensure that Kenya making progress in addressing the issues and needs of its young people?
