The CS cautioned youths against wasting their precious time and energy by engaging in uneconomic and illegal activities, including consumption of outlawed drugs and liquor, theft and sexual activities that lead to unwanted pregnancies and early marriages.
Singling out some of infrastructural programmes specifically targeting the youth, which Jubilee administration has put in place, the cabinet secretary pointed out the government was keen at nurturing a breed of youth that would be able to steer the country’s political and economic leadership to the next level.
“Thus the Jubilee administration’s rallying call on the significance of the present crop of future leaders to move out its current premature comfort zones,” noted the cabinet secretary.
The cabinet secretary advised youth in Lugari Sub County to access financial opportunities offered by the government through programmes like Uwezo Fund and engage in small scale commercial and agribusiness activities in order to boost the area’s sources of income as well as improve their living standards.
“Great economies like United States of America (USA) and Britain were largely built by the youth,” pointed out Ms. Kariuki
She revealed the programme will resume in 72 constituencies countrywide, where estimated 76,000 youth cohorts are set to be enrolled.
At the same time the Cabinet Secretary assured members of the public that the youth programme will not be revisited and interfered with by ghosts of corruption as was the case before it was suspended last year.
The programme stalled for several months after it was knotted in continuous graft cases that saw a section of top ministry officials as well as those under the NYS shown the door.
And with mummers having been widespread over the fate of millions of shillings the youths under the programme had saved, Kariuki assured them that their savings which amounts close to one billion shillings was safe and urged them to come up with investment ideas if they were to collectively benefit from the savings, instead of individual share.
“I am assuring the public that the NYS fund shall never be misused again and all the youths savings is all safe in a KCB account in fact I just checked the account yesterday to ensure it was safe.,” said Kariuki
She at the same time appealed to youths benefiting from the programme to display high levels of integrity, discipline and hard work to enable it succeed.
She said the Government had learnt from the failures of the pilot programme and will ensure that the new one is a success adding that data of all members enrolled under the programme this time round had been captured in the biometric system for accountability purposes.
She seized the opportunity to caution against politicization of re-launched programme saying it should not be used as a tool to advance political gains but as an empowerment programme that will benefit youths and have a positive impact to millions of Kenyans.
On his part Savula thanked the Jubilee government for jump starting various projects in his constituency, including Lugari Diploma Teachers Training College, Mautuma Medical Training College, Chevaywa Technical Training Institute and now the Chekalini National Youth Service Training Camp.
