NYS-YOUTH FOR VIOLENCE COME 2017-ODM SAYS

ODM STATEMENT – NYS YOUTH FOR VIOLENCE 2017 The demonstration yesterday in the streets of Nairobi by a group of hired Kenyans donning NYS t-shirts clearly confirmed our worst fears that the so called ‘rebranded NYS’ is not the NYS that was started in the 1960’s to provide services to the society but a militia aimed at causing tension and anxiety in the country. The demonstration by the members of the supposed to be a disciplined force left a lot to be desired. That was just the tip of the iceberg. It proved to the doubting Thomases that the billions of shillings allocated to the Devolution and Planning Ministry are spent on empowering the so-called NYS youths for reasons only known to Jubilee government. Yesterday we saw it with our own eyes. We have asked and we demand again, for a full audit of NYS and Devolution Ministry’s expenditure (including confidential budgets), curriculum, ethnic and gender composition and all contracts entered into by the organization. The Auditor General must unravel the hidden expenditures, behind the scenes dealings that include the importation of sugar and rice through the free port of Kismayu whose deliveries to the NYS headquarters are done at night or on weekends. No wonder the refusal by Jubilee administration to withdraw our KDF troupes from Somalia. We are fully aware that the ethnic and gender composition of the recruitment to the NYS is skewed at favouring a particular ethnic group with the intent of propagating violence in the run-up, during and after the 2017 general election. We are watching keenly. It is becoming clear to Kenyans that the so-called ‘new-look’ NYS, as we have been warned, is a political youth militia in the making. East and Central Africa has a horrific history with these kinds of groups. History teaches us that when governments train political paramilitary youth militias, it is a precursor to violence on a scale that we should view with trepidation and resist with the greatest determination. Yesterday, residents of the City of Nairobi witnessed a harbinger of a future we have foretold when a rowdy group of NYS youth rampaged through sections of the city blocking traffic, damaging vehicles and intimidating pedestrians whose physical features were perceived to indicate that they hailed from an ethnic group other than that of the President. As leaders, we strongly defend the right of Kenyans to demonstrate as this is their constitutional right. However, we condemn ALL acts of political hooliganism REGARDLESS of which party they claim to support including OURS. Additionally, we take this opportunity to condemn in the strongest possible terms – the mobilization of youth paid by taxpayers and dressed in NYS t-shirts who engaged in violent political activity in Nairobi yesterday. Their actions proved that the original NYS motto of ‘Vijana wa Huduma kwa Taifa’ has been deliberately changed by the Jubilee government to ‘Vijana wa Fujo kwa Taifa’. The Cabinet Secretary for Devolution claims not to be partisan, but yesterday we saw the truth behind the rhetoric crafted for her by overpaid so-called consultants. We in Opposition have been on record warning Kenyans about the potentially nefarious partisan political agenda being planned for the new-look NYS. As Hon. Odinga said in his statement last Saturday – the government has become the primary driver of insecurity in Kenya. Going by what we saw yesterday, this is merely the beginning.” In the meantime, we appeal to residents of Kibera to continue living in harmony as they have over the years. The youth in Kibera must not allow themselves to be used to cover up for Jubilee’s theft that now permeates virtually every ministry. Thank you. Hon. John Mbadi – MP National Chairman