‘The Youth Fact Book: InfinitePossibility or Definite Disaster’, a book I authored in 2010, has been recognized as an authoritative one stop shop of youth facts, figures and analysis with regard to the state of Kenya’s youth population. It was featured extensively in the article below.

‘The Youth Fact Book: InfinitePossibility or Definite Disaster’, a book I authored in 2010, has been recognized as an authoritative one stop shop of youth facts, figures and analysis with regard to the state of Kenya’s youth population. it was featured extensively in the article below.

Article by George Omondi

I first met Katindi for lunch in 2010 on a visit from California. I had just left my job at Institute for the Future and was preparing to go to graduate school in New York. I was so excited to meet her, to get some first-hand knowledge of foresight in Kenya. At the time I was a bit nervous; what should I expect? To my delight, Katindi was forever laughing and humble about all that she has achieved. I quickly knew that come 2011, when I have my summer break, I must find a way to return to Kenya and work with Katindi. And so I did.

Following a disputed election in 2007, Kenya experienced spontaneous violence in reaction to the election results mainly in opposition areas, organized attacks mainly in Rift Valley Province against certain ethnic groups that supported the incumbent, organized retaliatory attacks as well as opportunistic sexual and gender-based violence. Findings of the Commission of Inquiry into the Post-Election Violence enumerated the growing population of poor, unemployed youth, educated and uneducated, who agree to join militias and organized gangs as part of the major root causes of the conflict. According to a youth advocacy organization, Youth Agenda, young were responsible for 7.32% of all incidents of pre-planned violence. 54.88% of those who executed the violence were youth.

The Constitution of Kenya, 2010 created a devolved system of government. The 47 county governments are responsible for socio-economic development partly through resources allocated from the National Government. A Commission for Revenue Allocation (CRA) was set up to come up with a formula of how these resources would be allocated. The first formula proposed allocations in the following manner: 60 per cent according to the population size; 12 per cent according to poverty levels; six per cent according to land size; and two per cent according to fiscal responsibility.