Youth in bonding trip to Rift Valley

Nairobi, Sept. 9 - 20. Youth from Tetu Division exchanged pleasantries outside the Rift Valley PC office as they waited for the administrator to flag off the final leg of their journey for peaceand, yes,discovery. They were on their way to Marakwet East constituency in an exchangeprogramme that saw youth from Marakwet visit Nyeri for two weeks in September.Their faces were a study in excitement as they ventured into Rift Valley to interact with local communities. Most of them had neve travelled beyond Nyahururu in their two decades on earth! The exchange programme is the brainchild of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports with the help of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and seeks to enable Kenyans from all regions to interact and create peace.The effort comes in the wake of post-election violence that left 1,200 people dead mostly in the Rift Valley, property worth millions of shillings destroyed, and more than 350,000 people displaced. The ministry mind UNDP are now bringing together youth from the warring communities. Provincial commissioner Hassan Noor Hassan was to flag the youth off to complete their journey to Marakwet, having travelled from Nyeri.

The group, escorted by Nyeri district commissioner David Mwangi, on behalf of the Central PC, had to wait for six long hours to be addressed by the administrators and officers from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The long wait did not dampen their spirits as they were looking forward to reaching Marakwet East and mingling with the residents. To set the mood for their journey, the youth were wearing caps and Polo-shirts bearing peace messages. Printed on the caps was a message, We are one while on the front of the polo-shirt was Tuelewane (Lets understand each other) in capital letters. At the back of the shirts was another message, a quote from St Francis of Asissi, which says, Lord make me an instrument of peace. One of them, Miss Rose Nyagaki, said she could not wait to meet in Marakwet District residents. She had never been to that part of the country before. Young people from that district visited us last month and we made friends. We have really missed them and now I want to go to their homes and meet their parents and other relatives, she said. The teenager, who was born and grew up in the rolling hills that hug the Aberdare National Park in Central Kenya, had only read in books about the beautiful Lakes Nakuru, Elementaita and the famous Perkerra Irrigation scheme in Baringo District.But by Monday evening, she and her colleagues who travelled for a two week stay with residents of Marakwet East had seen the scenic lakes Elementaita and Nakuru. The youth who always thought snow-capped Mount Kenya was the most beautiful physical feature on earth were amazed by the glorious gathering of flamingoes at Lake Nakuru. They still had much to see at lakes Bogoria, Baringo and Kamnarok, notto mention the scenic Tugen Hills. Michael Muchomba - Country Director NAYD KENYA