THE YOUTH ARE A THREAT TO MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS.

By Ramadhan Wahy Rajab

The societal paralysis we are facing today is because we have allowed transformation of our society into a society of ‘garbage collectors’ and apes.

The gradual erosion in our culture and vast adaptation to obnoxious lifestyle trends by the young generation, is clearly sounding a death knell to the realization of any economic strides that will alleviate us from poverty.

The weakening of the societal fabric is moving third world nations further from achieving their ambitious Millennium Development Goals (MDGs.) Kenya being the worst affected.

Those seen as steering this programmes seems not ready to pick up the mantle. They remain with a consolation that they are future leaders. To put it candidly they are future Failures.

Kenya is evolving as a nation where boys are up in competition with their mother’s makeup they want to have the latest hairdo. They are out to look like their mothers. They are fighting to be feminine. On the other hand the youthful ladies are busy searching for latest trends worse even some want to be like their fathers.

The ladies are quick to demand for gender equity while they are not ready to take the mantle to justify their claims. They only sit to seek favors. The boys on other hand want to get rich quickly. Where on earth can you pluck money without working for it? It is even biblical that hard work pays.

Our youth want to have money that they are not ready to look for. This is why they go for queer means of looking for money. They turn out to spend thriftily where savings is highly abhorred. It sad to see the youths copying everything from the whites because it is morally right but its sound palatable to the age brackets. Others copy to experiment not involving their consent. What society are the youths building?

When did the rain start falling on us? Identifying this may be the only   prescription to revert the rot threatening to throw the economy and the country to the dogs. We’ve nurtured a TV society where kids as young as three years are glued to TV screens for hours.

Videos and latest movies have remained the major rewards to children by their parents. Hard work and struggle is no longer encouraged. We are seeing youth who want things to come their way without working. I fault the parents who are giving out the fish to their kids and reluctant to show them how to fish.

The modern youths are prone to handouts that they misuse in stupid entertainment. Parents do this to please their ever cuddled and pampered children. You wonder why Africa despite its potential still lags behind in almost everything and charity remains the only source of livelihood?

 It is explained better and understood that the youths have never been shown the way to rise and prove their worth. We have remained with notions that there are no opportunities for the youth.

The old guards have stuck on the throne. But one question begs; where are the youth to demand and agitate for these positions? We are either being used by the political elite to maim, and harass their opponents, only to come and mouth after they dump us immediately when their selfish desires are met. We don’t stop even for minute to think of the day after tomorrow. We bite fingers and blame almost everything on everyone while we are savages.

As much as we would like to celebrate Obama’s victory, we should not count ourselves as winners if we are still clinging on the past. Obama’s hope should be a driving force, we cannot achieve this by sitting back and expect results. We should prove ourselves by coming out with credentials and well built personalities.

The Kenyan youths way of life should be dumped far from reach. The celebration of life in terms of entertainment and liquor should not be part of punctuations for them, but hard work and sacrifice of magnitude. Lets celebrate our life in terms of output in steering the economic wheel.

John F Kennedy adage reminds us that the future of a nation is determined by the current prospects of the youths. Lets start it today so that we finish it tomorrow.