Youth leaders from counties in Northern Kenya convened to deliberate and put their input to the proposed Youth Bill 2024, during a public participation exercise in Garissa town.
The youth drawn from the counties of Garissa, Wajir, Tana River and Mandera gave their views on how best to formulate the new law to ensure that their rights and aspirations were factored on the bill.
Ijara youth leader Mr Salah Yarrow urged the youth to openly articulate their issues saying the forum was critical in developing legislations that could shape the future of youth and their empowerment in Kenya.
He said the proposed Youth Bill aims to advance youth development, foster innovation, and strengthen youth participation in all sphere of development in their counties.
Mr Yarrow said the forum of youth led organizations was actively involved in the drafting of the important legislation after a wider consultations with stakeholders including state actors , government officials, and civil society organizations.
He said the new law touches on key issues such as youth employment, education, and entrepreneurship and there role in security.
He was however optimistic that the input of the youth will help ensure that the final bill reflects the needs and aspirations of young people in Kenya and northern counties in particular.
Among agencies represented during the grueling talks were officials from the state Department for Youth Affairs and Creative Economy, the County Government officials from the region and Frontier Counties Development Council.
By Mohamed Dahir