This archive report was first published on 21 November 2019.
Cabinet Approves Policies to Empower the Youth ¶
On Thursday, the Kenyan Cabinet, chaired by President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House, Nairobi, approved several policies aimed at boosting the country's economy and empowering the youth.
The Kenya Youth Development Policy (KYDP) 2019, which seeks to mainstream issues affecting the youth, was among the policies approved. The policy aims to coordinate youth programs to address unemployment, radicalization, youth exclusion, cyber-crime, and trafficking in persons among other challenges facing the youth.
The Cabinet also approved the Business Laws (Amendment) Bill 2019, which aims to improve the business environment in the country and attract more investments. The bill seeks to raise the country's ranking in the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Index to position 50 by 2020.
Other policies approved by the Cabinet include the National Cooperative Policy, which establishes an institutional framework for the enhancement of coordination of cooperative societies in the country, and the regulations for non-deposit taking saccos aimed at protecting Kenyans against risks of poor investment decisions.
The Cabinet also approved the piloting of the Engineered Base Stabilizer (EBS) roads in Nairobi City County, which is a new road construction technology considered relatively cheaper compared to conventional approaches.
Additionally, the Cabinet approved the National Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) Policy, which aims to scale up the management of menstrual hygiene in the country. The policy highlights MHM as a rights issue and brings it into the mainstream of the country's health and development agenda.
On agriculture, the Cabinet approved Kenya's membership to the Africa Rice Centre (Africarice) and Okayed the country's membership to the International Solar Alliance (ISA). The Cabinet also approved the ratification of bilateral air services agreements with South Africa and Botswana.
Furthermore, the Cabinet approved the hosting of the Next Einstein Forum (NEF) Global Gathering 2020 in the country, which is an initiative of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in partnership with the German Robert Bosch Stiftung.
By hosting the global event, the Cabinet noted that Kenya will cement her status as a leading science, technology, and innovation hub in the region.
