This comes hours after President Ruto met leaders of the African Independent Pentecostal Church Africa at State House, Nairobi
In light of the ongoing anti-government demonstrations across the country, President William Ruto’s government has announced that a National Multi-Sectoral Forum (NMSF) would be constituted to engage with all stakeholders in addressing the concerns raised by the youth. This is in adherence to his announcement on Wednesday, June 26 of the same.
Through his office, the Head of State on Saturday, June 29 announced that to facilitate the establishment of the NMSF, all national-level umbrella organizations representing the youth, civil society, religious organizations, professional bodies, business community organizations, academia, student leadership, Majority and Minority leaders of parliament, the Council of Governors, and other stakeholder groups are requested to nominate representatives to constitute the National Steering Committee (NSC) of the NMSF.
“The National Steering Committee comprising of 100 persons, shall be the apex organ of the NMSF, charged with providing the framework, modalities, agenda, and timelines for a nationwide dialogue on matters raised by the youth,” a statement from the office by Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service, Felix Koskei, read in part.
Kenyans protest against the Finance Bill 2024 in Nairobi. /ALJAZEERA
The matters include but are not limited to
- Jobs and other opportunities;
- The national debt burden;
- The Nation’s tax policy;
- Representation and accountability;
- Anti-corruption measures; and
- Any other agenda items as deemed appropriate.
Furthermore, each umbrella body is requested to formally nominate two representatives of either gender for consideration for appointment to the National Steering Committee (NSC). The nominations should be addressed to the Executive Office of the President at Harambee House in Nairobi.
“Upon establishment of the National Steering Committee of the NMSF, His Excellency the President will facilitate the first sitting of the NSC for the sole purpose of the Committee independently identifying the leadership of the forum. Subsequently, the forum will carry out its activities independently across all the 47 counties through a participatory, citizen-centric and inclusive process from the ward level,” added the statement.
In adherence to the government’s values and principles of governance on public participation, every Kenyan and all stakeholders will have an opportunity to present their proposals on the agenda items in person, remotely, individually or as groups.
The NSC will also provide a framework and mechanism for engaging with political leaders in a bipartisan manner.
“As time is of the essence, the nominations are expected to be received by the Executive Office of the President on or before 7th July 2024,” Koskei further directed.
This comes hours after President Ruto met leaders of the African Independent Pentecostal Church Africa at State House, Nairobi where they committed to take part in the multi-sectoral forum. They included 96 bishops led by Presiding Archbishop Samson Muthuri.
“The government has deliberate programmes and policies to create job and income opportunities for our young people. These include the Affordable Housing Programme, digital jobs, labour migration and industrialisation through county aggregation and industrial parks and special economic zones.
“The proposed youth and multi-sectoral forums will give the youth and other stakeholders a platform to discuss these and other national economic challenges that face our country,” Ruto said on his social media platforms.
Over the course of the protests, Ruto has been courting men and women of the cloth, urging priests to back the move to stop the nationwide demonstrations, a new move that comes against the backdrop of the recent nationwide anti-Finance Bill protests that brought the country to a standstill.
The mostly peaceful protests culminated into a violent one after the government decided to deploy its police officers to manage the demonstrators.
In Nairobi, protestors stormed the Parliament Building and vandalized it before setting a section of the building on fire, a move that prompted the government to deploy military forces to quell the protests.
