Written by Robert Makale and Doreen Shikuku 2012-06-15 17:16:00 Read 1306 Times

Former anti corruption chief John Githongo has come under fire, being accussed of swindling millions of shillings meant to benefit Kenyan youth under the ‘Yes Youth Can Fund’ initiated by the US  government.

The Western Youth Alliance is now demanding Githongo and the fund managers to account for the swindled fund ammounting to billions meant to benefit the desperate youth.

Youths drawn from Kakamega, Vihiga, Busia, Trans-Zoia and Bungoma Couties in western region pointed accused Githongo of comouflaging to help empower the youth only to defraud Americans taxpayers of billions of money through what they term as ‘ghost projects’.

They vowed to stage more demonstrations countrywide to compell other regions to agitate for accountability of the funds allocated for them.

The youth also implored upon the US government to initiate investigations into the matter so that the programme serves its intended purpose.

“We call on the US government to hold the bosses of this initiative accountable over the expenditure of the funds, and a report tabled to us,” said Mr. Allan Wafubwa, member of Jukwaa la Katiba, Bungoma chapter.

Initially youth from the Coast region led by Suleiman Juma blew the whistle of corruption and embezellement cases of the funds shortly after a subsequent demonnstration in Rift Valley under the stewardship of Mr. John Kirwa.

Since then, they said they have not seen any action being taken.

“We are going to mobilise Nairobi, Eastern and Central provinces to come out and speak,” vowed James Wekesa, the region’s youth alliance patron.

They further questioned the composition of the leadership of the initiative mangers terming them as old and not fitting in the youth bracket definition hence disconnected to the youth’s problems.

“The organisations and faces managing Yes Youth Can funds are very old and are only out to propagate imperialism cultivated by America,” argued  Moses Lukoye.

Among the organisations mentioned in the ‘Obama Fund’ embezelment are Nairobi’s Inuka Kenya Trust, Winrock International based in Western Kenya, CLAUSA international, and Mercy Corps.

The tussle between Kenyan youth and the Yes We Can fund alleged saga moguls is still on and now threatening to taint president Barrack Obama’s image in the continent ahead of his quest for second bid in White House.

Youth in the country have read deception in his promises to eradicate poverty and acute unemployement through the ‘Yes Youth Can’ fund iniative in Kenya, channeled through the embassy by the Obama administration and are now blaming him for using them as ‘dollrags’ to win political battles in Africa.

Irate youth led by their patrons from Western region under the umbrella  of Western Youth Alliance, thronged  in hundreds to the streets of Bungoma Town  in Bungoma County in protest over alleged misaproptriation of ‘Yes Youth Can Fund’ engineered by the former anti graft boss John Githongo.

The enraged youth prostested over the Sh3.5 billion iniative for the youth engineerd by the American government  claiming  that the project has never taken effect since its inception in 2002  as they continue to face acute joblessness and poverty.

“We were promised economic empowerment initiatives in order to gain democratic boost in the long run. That has never come to see the light of the day to date,” said Winrod Lumbasi, a cordinator Mount Elgon Region.

“The former US ambassaeudor Michael Renneberger unveilled the kitty in Bungoma county in western region to spearahead youth empowerment. It has not taken effect to date yet we only see briefcase organisations siphoning funds from the kitty purpoting to be spearheading the campaighns to empower us,” said James Mwembi, the Western Region Alliance cordinator.

The organisations are the cartel working with some US embassy officials to defraud Americans of their taxes in the name of helping Kenyan Youths to come out of poverty and unemployement, read the statement.

The leaders revealed that the American people were being swindled of their hard earned cash in the pretext of helping the youths the money, only ending up in pockets of American experts in Kenya working in cahoots with seniour civil society.

The former Anglo Leasing whistle blower, John Githongo, has been adversly mentioned in the Yes Youth Fund saga with some organisations working in the project bearing his rights.

Kenya’s top civil society watchdog, John Gothongo is said to be the executive CEO of Inuka Kenya Trust, an organisation that has been a giant beneficiary of the funds.

T5he youths have warned the American government to stop perpetuating inperialism using desperate youths from Africa to attain its goals.

“Obama money is northing but part of larger charade of modern imperialism to dupe jobless, hopeless and frustrated Kenyan youth to sing to  the songs that will help America manipulate our Kenyan government into cooperating in helping US spread its influetial tentacles in Africa,” said James Mukhwana, the chairman of the alliance.

The youths have since warned the US government to desist using Kenyan youths as counter to gain positive image in international politics.

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