Inside System Set to Track Youth's Contribution to the Govt

by Maureen Njeri on Tuesday, 12 July 2022 - 7:30 pm

Members of the State Department for Youth Affairs

KNA

Hillary Busisa

Plans are underway to develop the Kenya Youth Development Index (KYDI), a system that will enable the government to track youth's contribution to development.

The index will measure how much the youth are engaging with empowerment programs and development initiatives implemented by the government.

Similar to the national identification serial numbers, the index is unique to each youth. Principal Secretary of Youth Affairs Charles Sunkuli sated that the information collected by the index will be used in developing youth policies and projects.

“The youth development index will collect and analyze critical data on young people to guide the nation's progress,” Sunkuli affirmed.

Youth making soil blocks using ISSB technology that will be used to construct an additional 30 classrooms at Mikuyuni Secondary School in Kibwezi.

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Expectations from the government on the success of the index are high.

The index is expected to significantly improve the government's capacity to assess the extent to which youth are engaged in beneficial contributions to society.

Data drawn from the 2019 Census indicates that the youth account for 14 million of the Kenyan population.

Sunkuli noted that this is a large number that needs to be aligned with Kenya’s development agendas.

“KYDI will also help the government and other policymakers decide how to allocate scarce resources among competing youths and other objectives,” he added.

Earlier, Cabinet Secretary for ICT Joe Mucheru launched the Kenya Youth Development Policy 2019 to harness and optimize the strengths and opportunities that the youth present while addressing personal and structural barriers that affect their productivity.

"This Policy, which is an outcome of a broad based consultative process, is designed to promote the creation of sustainable decent jobs and income generating opportunities for all youth, facilitate building of digital skills and leverage young people’s natural affinity to technology which is powerful in helping the nation grow and strengthen its economic base thus become more competitive in today’s globalized markets," the Kenya Youth Development Policy 2019 report reads.