By Sammy Weya
Whenever I stand before young people, I do not see merely the leaders of tomorrow. I see the citizens, innovators, entrepreneurs, professionals and leaders who are already shaping Kenya today.
Universities are places where ideas are challenged, knowledge is developed and solutions to national problems are born.
Your education, citizenship, creativity and willingness to take the initiative can help transform Kenya.
Understanding Our Civic Responsibility
Civic responsibility means understanding our rights, respecting the rights of others, obeying the law, holding our leaders accountable and contributing to the common good.
Democracy is not simply the right to elect leaders every five years. It is the responsibility to remain engaged between elections.
It means asking questions when public resources are misused. It means demanding transparency from public institutions. It means participating in public affairs peacefully and constructively. It also means accepting that people can disagree without becoming enemies.
A strong democracy is not built by citizens who agree on everything. It is built by citizens who can disagree respectfully, demand accountability and still recognise their shared humanity.
As young people, you must understand that citizenship is not a spectator sport. You cannot leave the responsibility of building Kenya entirely to politicians and then complain when the country does not move in the direction you desire.
You must participate, question, contribute and take responsibility for the future you want.
Read and Understand the Constitution of Kenya, 2010
Please read the Constitution of Kenya, 2010. Do not leave its interpretation entirely to politicians, commentators or social media. Read it for yourselves.
Our Constitution is more than a legal document. It is the foundation of our national governance, our rights and freedoms, our democratic institutions and our responsibilities as citizens.
Article 1 declares that all sovereign power belongs to the people of Kenya. That power is exercised directly or through democratically elected representatives.
What does this mean?
It means that public office is a public trust. Leadership is not ownership. Elected leaders are not above the people they serve, and public resources are not personal property.
The Constitution establishes the principles of good governance, integrity, transparency, accountability and public participation. It also provides for devolution, giving citizens important opportunities to participate in decisions affecting their counties and communities.
You should understand how Parliament works, how county governments operate, how public budgets are prepared and how citizens can participate in policy decisions.
When a county government prepares its budget, for example, you have a right to participate in public consultations and ask how resources will be allocated.
When public institutions make decisions that affect your future, you should understand the lawful avenues available to question those decisions.
An informed citizen is better equipped to protect their rights, fulfil their responsibilities and demand better leadership.
You cannot fully exercise rights you do not understand, and you cannot effectively hold leaders accountable if you do not know what the Constitution requires of them.
From Education to Economic Empowerment: AGPO Opportunities
Education should not only prepare you to look for employment. It should also prepare you to identify opportunities, create enterprises, generate employment and participate meaningfully in the economy.
AGPO was established to facilitate access to government procurement opportunities for enterprises owned by youth, women and persons with disabilities. Under the programme, the Government has set aside at least 30 per cent of its procurement opportunities for these groups, subject to the applicable requirements and procurement rules.
Yet many young people graduate without fully understanding how government procurement works or how they can position themselves to benefit from these opportunities.
I encourage you to study AGPO carefully.
Understand the registration requirements. Learn how to establish a compliant business, prepare quotations and tender documents, maintain proper accounts and deliver goods and services professionally.
Look around you. Government institutions procure goods and services in many sectors, including information technology, construction, consultancy, agriculture, transport, supplies and professional services.
You do not necessarily need to start with a large company. You can begin with a viable business idea, the right skills, a clear understanding of the market and a commitment to professionalism.
However, remember that an opportunity is not a guarantee of a contract. AGPO does not eliminate competition, due diligence or the need to meet procurement requirements.
The objective is to equip eligible enterprises to compete for opportunities that can help them grow.
That is how we begin moving from job seeking to job creation.
Understand Youth and Women Empowerment Funds
The Youth Enterprise Development Fund, the Women Enterprise Fund and other relevant government financing programmes are avenues worth investigating.
But I want you to approach them with a business mindset.
Do not seek funding simply because money is available. Start by identifying a genuine market opportunity.
Prepare a business plan.
Understand your costs, your customers, your competition and your expected returns. Determine how much capital you actually need and how you intend to repay any financing that must be repaid.
Learn the application criteria, current financing terms and obligations directly from the relevant official institutions, because programme conditions can change.
If you are working in a group, establish clear governance, maintain proper records and agree on responsibilities from the beginning.
Funding alone does not guarantee success. It must be accompanied by knowledge, discipline, accountability and a viable business model.
We must cultivate a generation that understands both opportunity and responsibility.
Public funds and empowerment programmes are not simply benefits to be collected. They are instruments that should help us build sustainable livelihoods, productive enterprises and stronger communities.
Technology and the Internet: Your Greatest Learning Tools
We are living in an age in which information and technology are transforming almost every sector of the economy.
Today, you can access university lectures, research papers, technical manuals, business training, agricultural information and global markets from a computer or a smartphone.
Artificial intelligence is creating additional opportunities to learn, analyse information, develop business plans and explore solutions to complex problems.
But technology is only as valuable as the way you use it.
Do not use the internet only for entertainment or to follow arguments on social media. Use it to acquire skills, research markets, study successful businesses and identify opportunities that may not be obvious to you.
If you want to start a business, research the market before investing your savings.
If you are interested in agriculture, learn about soil conditions, suitable crops, irrigation, modern farming techniques, processing and market access.
If you are studying engineering, investigate how technology can improve transport, housing, energy and infrastructure.
If you are studying law, economics or public policy, use digital resources to understand legislation, analyse public expenditure and develop evidence-based solutions to national challenges.
However, always verify information. Not everything published online is accurate, and artificial intelligence can make mistakes. Consult credible sources, compare evidence and use your own judgement.
The greatest advantage will belong not necessarily to those who have the most information, but to those who can turn reliable information into useful knowledge, innovation and action.
Use technology to learn faster, think more critically, create more effectively and compete confidently in the global economy.
The Future of Billionaires: Agriculture and Agroforestry
I want to challenge you to reconsider one sector that has enormous potential to transform Kenya: agriculture.
When many young people hear the word agriculture, they think of subsistence farming, hard labour and low returns.
I see a much bigger opportunity.
Agriculture is not simply about planting seeds and waiting for a harvest. It is a business, an industrial opportunity, a technology sector and a foundation for economic transformation.
I believe that some of the greatest fortunes of the coming decades can be built in agriculture and agroforestry by entrepreneurs who combine innovation, science, technology, investment and sound business management.
Consider the opportunities across the agricultural value chain.
There is an opportunity in seed production and seedling nurseries, irrigation, mechanisation, soil testing, agricultural data, precision farming, storage, logistics, processing, packaging, export markets and agricultural finance.
There are opportunities in rice, sunflower, coffee, horticulture, livestock, aquaculture and many other enterprises suited to different parts of our country.
A farmer who produces a crop is participating in agriculture. An entrepreneur who builds an efficient system connecting thousands of farmers to inputs, financing, processing facilities and reliable markets may be building an entirely different scale of business.
We must therefore move beyond asking only what we can grow. We must also ask what we can process, what value we can add, what markets we can serve and what industries we can build around our agricultural resources.
Agroforestry: An Opportunity for Business and Environmental Sustainability
Agroforestry integrates trees with crops and, in suitable systems, livestock. It can help diversify farm income, improve soil protection, support biodiversity and contribute to climate resilience when properly planned and managed.
Trees can provide timber, fruits, medicinal and other useful products, subject to the relevant laws and sustainable management practices. Indigenous tree species also have an important role in restoring landscapes and conserving biodiversity.
Imagine young entrepreneurs developing modern tree nurseries, producing quality seedlings, supplying farmers, establishing sustainable timber value chains, processing fruits, developing essential tree-based products and offering environmental restoration services.
Imagine technology platforms that connect nurseries to farmers, help track tree survival, map suitable planting areas and connect sustainable producers to buyers.
These are real areas for innovation and enterprise.
However, success requires patience, sound agronomy, access to land, financing, credible markets and compliance with environmental and forestry regulations.
Not every agricultural venture will succeed, and wealth is never guaranteed. But the sector offers opportunities for those prepared to research carefully, innovate and build businesses that solve real problems.
The next generation of agricultural leaders may be software developers, engineers, scientists, financiers, logistics specialists and entrepreneurs who use technology to transform the entire food and forestry value chain.
You can be part of that transformation.
Kenya needs young people who will build productive enterprises, improve food security, create rural employment and ensure that the wealth generated from our natural resources benefits our communities.
Leadership, Integrity and Accountability
Leadership is measured by the problems one helps solve, the lives one improves and the integrity one maintains when nobody is watching.
Young people should not wait until they are elected, appointed or financially successful before becoming leaders.
You can lead by standing against corruption, treating others fairly, mentoring another student, creating a business or supporting a community initiative.
Integrity begins with individual choices.
We must build a culture in which performance matters more than promises, integrity matters more than popularity, and national development matters more than political loyalty.
We should judge leadership by whether our young people find opportunities, whether our businesses grow, whether our farmers prosper, whether public institutions function and whether public resources are used responsibly.
The Kenya We Must Build Together
The future of Kenya should not be a competition between generations, communities or political camps. It should be a shared national project.
The transformation of Kenya will require government action, private-sector investment, responsible citizenship and the creativity of our young people.
Government has an important role in creating an enabling environment. But government cannot create every business, discover every innovation or solve every community problem.
Be patriotic enough to defend your country, courageous enough to question its leadership and constructive enough to help improve its institutions.
The writer is former Alego-Usonga MP, businessman and entrepreneur.
