MADARAKA FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Madaraka day. This is the day we, Kenyans usually celebrate the moment in history when the country was granted internal self-rule by the British colonialists. Coined to reflect on the power “we” got for “Internal self-rule" or “Self-Governance Day,” every 1st of June we come together to commemorate this particular day in 1963, when Kenya attained internal self-rule after being a British colony for more than 40 years. We can’t help but unanimously agree that since then we have had a series of developmental programmes and projects under the regime of different presidents all the way from
Mzee Hayati Jomo Kenyatta.
A quick dive into the past one decade would tell you for free that indeed there has been quite a lot that has transpired. For instance, with the promulgation of the new 2010 constitution that gave a clearer definition of the Equality Act 2010 which legally protects everyone from discrimination in the workplace and in wider society. This was indeed a great elevation to the position of women in the civic society. The new constitution with reference from various citations is a clean break which provides several avenues for the pursuit and strengthening of everyone’s personal and collective rights.
Among the many things Kenyans are grateful for, especially during this reign of his Excellency, President Uhuru Kenyatta was the nation’s developmental strategy envisaged in his second term in office. This is through the Big Four Agenda that was designed to fast track the realization of Kenya’s vision 2030 through the manufacturing industry, Food security, Universal Health Coverage and affordable housing.
Cascading down to the Universal Health Care system, I would like to reflect on the president’s speech during the fourth Amref Health Africa International Conference (AHAIC). That, “The youth are a key constituency in driving momentum towards UHC and they should never be sidelined. We should engage with and empower our young people, and give them the knowledge and skills to take charge of their health. In this context, I would like to plead with the conference to pledge a special attention to the various health issues that plague that plague our young people. These include; Teenage pregnancy, Alcohol and drugs, diseases like HIV, lifestyle diseases as well as mental health”
Mr. President, as a young person, I only have one plea for you. Kindly allow Comprehensive Sexuality Education in and out of schools. Our siblings are perishing not because of lack of information, but as a result of acquiring the wrong information here and there. It’s a humble petition that your government may facilitate the coordination between the Ministry Of Health, the Ministry of Education and the Non-state actors to develop the Age Appropriate Comprehensive Sexuality Education Curriculum. As they say prevention is better than cure, then lets hammer the nail right on the head by providing the right sexuality education (Not Sex Education) to the leaders of tomorrow.
Being the Global Champion of the Young People’s Agenda, a partnership between the United Nations Youth Strategy 2030 and Generation Unlimited that aims to catalyze pro-youth actions and address the dreams, ambitions and hopes of 1.8 billion young people globally, there’s this one amazing present the young people of this country need from you. The MADARAKA to choose to be healthy, the MADARAKA to be in control of all that pertains their lives and well-being, the MADARAKA to realize their full potential, thrive and become responsible citizens of this blessed nation, and the MADARAKA to exercise leadership and oversight role in Sexual and Reproductive Health programing.
Indeje Innocent,
KNM ambassador,
Kakamega County.