Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi shake hands with Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi during a youth conference at Nyang’ori PAG headquarters in Vihiga on Saturday /HILTON OTENYOSpeaking during a youth conference at the Nyang’ori PAG headquarters in Vihiga, Osotsi challenged young people to actively seek leadership opportunities and ignore voices portraying them as incapable of steering institutions and the country.
“Wherever you are, whether you are in church, politics or wherever it is, look for leadership and do not be discouraged. I know there are people walking around saying the youth are too young to lead,” he said.
The senator expressed
disappointment with sentiments by some senior leaders who have argued that
young people are best suited for supporting roles rather than top leadership
positions.
“I was embarrassed the other day when I listened to some respected elder telling us that the youth can only be policemen and can only work in the military to protect the country,” he said.
His remarks come amid a growing national debate over the role of young people in governance, following increased demands by youth groups for greater representation in decision-making processes.
Osotsi said that many young leaders had previously demonstrated their ability to deliver when entrusted with responsibility, saying the notion that young people cannot lead was outdated and inconsistent with Kenya’s democratic aspirations.
“I know my friend PCS(Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi) became a minister at a very young age, maybe around 28 years, but he performed. Let us give youth a chance to lead wherever they are,” he said.
Osotsi also cited examples from the Bible to illustrate the role of young people in leadership and society.
“In the Bible there are so many personalities who were youth. If you talk about Timothy, you talk about David and even Mary, who was chosen by God to carry Jesus for nine months when she was a teenager,” he said.
The senator said empowering young people was central to the agenda of the Linda Mwananchi movement, which he said was advocating for citizen participation in leadership and governance.
He added that age should not be used as a barrier to leadership, insisting that competence, vision and commitment were more important considerations.
Osotsi urged society to embrace and nurture youthful leadership rather than suppress it.
