DP Ruto promises to end unemployment as he woos the Youth in Nairobi

The Coalition, in its charter with the youth also promises to support the creative, digital, sports and agriculture sectors with the aim of encouraging the youth to engage productively in this field.  It also promises to increase health cover for the youth and access to education.

In a bid to woo the youth vote, which accounts for about 40% of total voters registered to vote this year, the Kenya Kwanza coalition promises the youth a myriad of goodies, while imploring them to get the vote out

“Whichever way you want to vote, you must wake up and go to vote, and vote wisely,” Ruto said.

The youth formed the audience at Nyayo Stadium, Nairobi County on Tuesday,   

as the Kenya Kwanza and UDA presidential candidate Deputy President William Ruto penned yet another charter with this significant group of voters

Kenya Kwanza says if it forms the next government, it will make government credit accessible to the youth by removing red tape and bureaucracy that blocks them from getting it, it also says it will establish start-up incubation centers across the country and facilitate employment and paid internship opportunities for the youth

“If there is one thing that we must sort out in Kenya is the youth bulge and the unemployment that comes with it,” the DP added.

The Kenya kwanza's plan for the youth will be anchored on improving education and training opportunities, promoting agriculture and the attendant trade as well as tapping into the commerce ability of the youth by availing 30% of the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities to the youth, increase in tax for imported goods and reduction in the same for locally manufactured goods to promote local manufacturing and enactment of a waiver of KRA tax penalties for youth-owned enterprises

“All investments we're going to make in every sector, those investments are going to target how we're going to create jobs at every step in every way so that we can engage the knowledge, the talents and expertise of the young people of the nation,” DP Ruto explained.

Kenya Kwanza says it will ensure that the youth are not on the fringe of decision-making by creating a stand-alone Youth ministry, reserving 30% of all appointive positions for them and restructuring the national youth service and the revival of the national youth council.

Promotion of the creative and digital economy will also be at the core of Kenya Kwanza's youth agenda if it wins the election.

The coalition has pledged to provide free internet connectivity up to the remote areas to enhance accessibility, creation of innovation hubs at sub-county levels and protection of intellectual property rights to enable creators to earn from their art

Kenya Kwanza also says it will dedicate resources to the arts industry. It says it will encourage production by a zero-rating tax on the importation of film and photography equipment, create laws to promote 70 to 75% consumption of local content and turn the spotlight on the creative space by separating the sector from the ministries it currently falls under.

In sports, the Kenya Kwanza government would not expand and devolve the national youth talent academy, retain the sports fund at the national level and devolve it into the hustlers' fund at the county level, and gazette the sporting facilities across the country to safeguard them from grabbing, aside from increasing the number of the facilities.

“Ile stadium tulikuwa tumesema 11, sasa 80% imeisha, lakini i want to give a commitment to our sportsmen and women, and people in the creative industry, the arts and sports fund will be dedicated to building sports and arts facilities only,” Ruto remarked.

The youth on their part has promised to maintain peace, protect the environment and campaign towards delivering 70% of their vote to the Kenya kwanza basket.