The government has created a national voter education drive to assist youth in making informed decisions during August 9’s general election.
The exercise targets youth leaders from ten different regions of the country and aims to raise awareness about the voting process in order to increase their capacity, since most of them will be voting their first time.
Youth leaders are expected to train others in their regions before the August 9 polls.
Jerome Ochieng, Information Communication Technology (ICT), and Innovation Principal Secretary(PS) spoke in Kisumu Friday at the launch of the training program for the Western region. He stated that the exercise was being done in collaboration with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commissions (IEBC), National Youth Councils (NYC), and other development partners to ensure inclusiveness in the election.
The youth, he said comprise 70 per cent of the country’s population adding that 30 per cent of them were aged between 18-24 years and will take part in the polls for the first time.
He stated that the government recognizes how important youth are in nation building and that the National Youth Voter Educators Training Exercise will equip them to participate in the elections.
“We recognise the important role the youth can play in transforming our nation through the electoral process and are empowering them to take their rightful place in the governance of our nation,” he said.
Ochieng stated that the country’s socio-economic development was dependent on its political leadership. He urged the youth to vote in the elections and ensure that the right leadership is in place to ensure stability.
The training, he added, was in line with the government’s policy to ensure the youth have access to education, training, opportunities and space to participate in political, social and activities.
“It is for this reason that we encourage forums such as this that seek to empower our young people to fully participate and receive the requisite information and knowledge that will allow them to exercise their right to vote in a peaceful manner,” he said.
The training will benefit over 200 youths in the western region. It covers all aspects of voting.
He asked them all to pass the knowledge on to their colleagues, and to ensure that large numbers of people vote for the leaders they choose.
Mr Ochieng stated that the youth must be instruments of peace in order to ensure that elections are free, fair, and transparent.
He praised the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), for their partnership with him to roll out the training.
By Chris Mahandara
Source: kenyanews
