This archive report was first published on 13 December 2019.
Kenya's youth are facing a bleak future, with numerous challenges including unemployment, depression, and lack of opportunities. The country's Parliament has dealt a major blow to young people, shooting down three laws that would have changed their welfare in a significant way.
One of the laws that was annulled was the Kenya Civil Aviation (Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems Regulations, 2017), which would have allowed Kenyans to acquire drones for commercial and social purposes. The regulations were published by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority in 2018, but Parliament had to ratify them. The Committee on Delegated Legislation pointed out that there was insufficient public participation in drafting the regulations, leading to their annulment.
As a result, anyone caught flying drones will face a jail term of up to a year or a fine of up to Sh100,000. This decision has been met with criticism, as a report from the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International estimates that drones will create more than 100,000 jobs by 2025.
Another law that was shot down was the legislation that would have improved the terms of private security guards. The regulations were meant to operationalise the Private Security Regulation Act passed in 2016, and would have included a pay rise for night guards and day guards. However, the Committee on Delegated Legislation claimed that the regulations breached the Constitution due to lack of public participation, and that the pay rise was not practical.
Finally, the Budget and Appropriations Committee shot down a proposal by the Treasury to block disbursements to counties that have not cleared pending bills. The proposal was meant to force counties to pay their suppliers, including youth-owned SMEs, who owed Sh64.2 billion as of October 28.
These decisions have been met with criticism, as they have been seen as a blow to the youth of Kenya. The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) released a report that revealed that nine out of every 10 unemployed Kenyans are aged 35 and below, with the largest unemployment rate recorded in the age group 20–24.
