- The occasion was graced by Sankale Ole Keis, a renowned Baringo youth, and the Director General Youth Senate Kenya, who hails from the Ilchamus community in Baringo County.
- Sankale pointed out three major points focused on the youth already in action in the manifesto: Entrepreneurship, Engagement and Education.
- In attendance was the recently elected KYO that is yet to be launched officially.
The World International Youth Week was commemorated in a major way never seen before in Baringo County, led by Governor Benjamin Cheboi, by attending Baringo’s first.
County Youth Assembly (CYA) at Kabarnet sub-county, headquarters Baringo County.
The CYA had youth Representatives from the National Youth Senate, Baringo County Youth Forum (BCYF) leaders, Kenya Youth Organisation (KYO) leaders, youth partners in innovation and climate change champions all under one honourable platform to discuss matters of Climate Change.
The theme of the discussion at the CYA was To strengthen the Youth Voices in Climate Policy Process and access to finance for climate actions.
The occasion was graced by Sankale Ole Keis, a renowned Baringo youth, and the Director General Youth Senate Kenya (YSK), who hails from the Ilchamus community in Baringo County.
Youth inclusivity
Sankale took a key interest in how the current governance in Baringo County is doing an exemplary job in ensuring youth inclusivity, with it having five youthful Chief Executive Officers, among the several Youthful CECs and more youthful leaders appointed.
This, he says, goes in line with Governor Benjamin Cheboi’s manifesto during his bid to succeed as the third governor of Baringo County in the last election.
Sankale pointed out three major points focused on the youth already in action in the manifesto: Entrepreneurship, Engagement and Education.
In engagement, Sankale says the governor is already nailing it by having the CYA, a platform where Youth can air their ideas and help create its Youth policies.
The Baringo County Youth Policy had stalled due to the previous national elections. This policymaking puts Baringo County on the map as the fourth county to attempt such an exercise.
Education is the third promise that the current governor started tackling in his first term through the five Youth Empowerment Centres that he build.
Though the project has stagnated, Sankale calls the initiative dead capital, where the structures exist without meaningful gains being out of it.
He has called on the Governor to consider equipping the centres by allocating resources for youth to have a safe space to explore, be innovative, and focus on meaningful and gainful activities.
Asking for support
Sankale, digging deep on the discussions about Youth Policy, says YSK and development partners in Baringo came together to ensure that as policies and strategies were made, they too are anchored towards the youth policy.
Hopefully, in 10 years, youth issues will have been covered under it.
In the bid to make the exercise successful, Sankale hopes that with the support of the Baringo Youth CEO, the partners and Youth Senate from the Horn of Africa Youth Network will make a youth breakfast meeting scheduled soon to be successful, where the youth will be well sensitized on how to represent, presenting and debate their agendas.
The meeting is one of the first amongst the many aimed at making Baringo County the hub of Youth development in Kenya, a centre of excellence on Youth Development and youth empowerment.
Sankale says this is just a start for a stable and prosperous Baringo County.
Climate change
On matters Climate Change, Sankale stated that it is a matter of concern whose time had come.
“…global change is an issue whose effects are felt locally and everywhere. Baringo has directly suffered through the lakes rising, causing displacements and loss of livelihood, rivers drying up and causing conflicts,” he says.
In recent years, Lake Bogoria, a salty lake, burst its shores as its water rose, causing havoc and distractions to nearby human and wildlife habitats.
This attracted global attention as geo experts put their minds together to try and piece together a reasonable cause for such a massive natural move by the earth.
The traditional folks around the lake, too, had a lot to speculate about the area, with the elders hinting that massive water movement is a natural occurrence that happened 100 years ago and that the water was occupying its territory.
“Climate change has also affected security in parts of Baringo where drought has hit the most, causing resource-based conflicts.
The latest human conflict was witnessed between neighbouring communities in Baringo County, over a dry river, with the residents of Mogotio sub county blaming the residents of its neighbours Eldama Ravine sub-county of diverting river water to their farms,” adds Sankale.
“70% of those affected by conflict in Baringo County are the youth and children, while 70% who want peace are the same youth in the same county. Therefore, the youth are both partners of conflict and agents of peace-building,” he says.
Gaps
Sankale, however, noticed the gap that has existed within the youth in Baringo and called for a regional capacity-building workshop through The Common Market of East and Southern Africa (COMESA), Save the Children, and with the Horn of Africa Youth Network.
This is aimed at sharing peace ideas amongst the youth from the youth representatives from countries where they experienced conflicts and how they came out peacefully.
“The workshop is to help the youth understand the concept of conflicts, the dynamics of conflicts and the strategies to diffuse conflicts in the communities within Baringo County,” he says.
Sankale is looking forward to the partners showing interest in ways to strengthen the Youth Empowerment Centres with new programs.
Sankale put Governor Cheboi on the spot by dissecting the Baringo County Climate Change Bill, which was passed yet had no youth inclusion.
Comparing the bill to that of Kajiado County, which had several clauses pointing out the youth issues while Baringo’s had none.
Although Baringo fulfilled the Climate Change funding requirements that enabled funding from the Financing Locally Led Climate Action Program (FLLOCA), still its Environment Committee has no single youth representation.
FLLOCA is a program that focuses on capitalizing the National and County Climate Change funds, building counties’ capacity for planning and implementing local climate actions in partnership with communities, and strengthening of national capacity for coordination to later increase community resilience to climate change and other hazards.
Youth as partners
Sankale pointed out the fact that in the civil society organizations and the business community, youth are partners.
They are innovative and dynamic, and the future belongs to the youth; thus it is important they be at the table.
Governor Cheboi has been urged to consider climate change youth champions in environment committees from ward to county level as partners.
Among the Youth activists in the County Assembly was Benites Kipyegon from Kabartonjo ward, who is a climate change activist, Judy Kipkenda, the Founder of Kenya Ogiek Women and Youth Network (KOWYN), among other youth leading various initiatives through activism, innovation, employment creation and empowerment or sensitizations, through climate change, agroecology, peace initiatives, and other social issues and more.
The Baringo County Youth Forum (BCYF), was well represented by its Chairperson, Jonathan Mhego, from Kabarnet Ward;
the Vice Chairperson Kipkurui Zephania from Mochongoi Ward; Evans Kapsongor, the Secretary-General from Kabartonjo North; Edwin Kiprono, the Deputy Secretary from Emining Ward;
Organising Secretary Daniel Kipkemboi Korir from Lembus ward; Christine Chematia Gender representative from Kabarnet ward;
Cathy Koech representing People Living with Disability (PWD); and other BCYF members from Baringo County.
In attendance was the recently elected KYO that is yet to be launched officially.
Director General Youth Senate Kenya, Daniel Sankale Ole Keis is a renowned champion in shaping Youth policies and networking.
Such County Government leaders depend on him in shaping and spearheading the Youth objectivity, directing and creating youth opportunities by championing youth space.
Sankale studied Political Leadership and Governance Programme at The Friedrich Eberr Foundation (FES).
YOU CAN ALSO READ: Youth empowerment takes center stage at international event
He is a Commissioner of Peace and Security at the African Youth Commission (AYC) and Chairman of the Horn of Africa Youth Network, among others.
