This archive report was first published on 23 August 2019.
On a daily basis, Caleb Amisi, the Member of Parliament for Saboti, would have been content with earning Sh70 a day as a herdsboy in his village. However, he had bigger aspirations. In the year 2000, he emerged as the best student in KCPE in Western Province, earning him admission to the prestigious Starehe Boys Centre.
Today, Caleb is a 32-year-old change-maker who is passionate about empowering the youth and helping the needy in society. He runs the Caleb Amisi Foundation, a non-profit organisation that seeks to improve the lives of young people. The foundation has so far paid school fees for more than 700 bright but needy students from the North Rift region of Kenya.
‘I was once a needy student, and if someone hadn’t offered to alleviate my financial burden, perhaps I would have remained a herdsboy, or ended up as a house boy,’ Caleb says, reflecting on his humble beginnings.
As a legislator, Caleb has proposed amendments to the Social Assistance Act 2012, which seeks to give unemployed youth a monetary allowance of Sh12,000 every four months as they continue to search for jobs or alternative sources of income. He believes that this will help prevent the youth from falling into poverty, and being susceptible to ills like drug abuse, criminal gangs, and early pregnancy.
Caleb has also co-sponsored motions seeking to establish sports academies and talent development centres in every constituency, and another on the establishment of apprenticeship institutions that are fully funded by government.
However, Caleb acknowledges that implementation of projects is not easy, and that some youthful legislators are often seen as incompetent due to the slow process of implementation.
‘Our freedom fighters were not on any salary when they fought for our independence. The political and economic liberators of yesteryears were never motivated by salaries or by rewards, but by their inherent urge for change. This should be the guiding principle of any leader if we intend to make a difference in our society,’ Caleb said.
On August 16, 2019, Caleb was conferred with an honorary Fellows Award by the African Youth and Governance Convergence in Ghana, in recognition of his contribution to the inclusion, development, and expansion of space for the youth in Kenya, and across the continent.
