County governments have been asked to prioritize on the reproductive health programmes for young people since it is now emerging as a major concern.
Lobbyists speaking in Mombasa said cases of early marriages and unwanted pregnancies are on the rise and hence the need for proper sensitization and programs to keep young people busy to keep them away from the miseries.
The lobbyists were speaking in Mombasa during a youth forum organized by Network for Adolescent and Youth of Africa (NAYA), an NGO based in Nairobi in partnership with Mombasa based youth organizations.
NAYA executive director Victor Rasugu asked counties to ensure that they fully involve young people in all budget making processes at all levels.
He said reproductive health is a concern amongst young people.
Mr Rasugu added that public participation is a fundamental aspect and as thus, counties should ensure that the concerns of young people are captured and addressed during budget making processes.
“Young people should not be left behind and county government should critically look into this issue. Their concerns should be made an input into their considerations,” he said.
Another lobbyist, Robbert Aseda said the organisation is working closely with Dream Achievers Youth Organization and a host of other youths lobby groups in Mombasa County to ensure needs of young people are factored in the county budget making processes.
Mr asked the county government to further invest in the health of young people by increasing the number of youth friendly facilities.
“It is the mandate of the county government to ensure that all views are taken into consideration during public participation. However the challenge has always been that young people are normally left out in this process,” he said.
Dream Achievers Youth Organization reproductive health officer Gaetano Muganda cited reproductive health and teenage pregnancy as a challenge in Mombasa County.
He added that some of the young people within the county have no access to youth friendly services citing inadequacy of the facilities.
“It is even difficult for us to get a copy of the county fiscal strategy paper. This to me raises the question of integrity,” Mr Muganda noted.
The officer insisted that there is a need for the county government to ensure the needs of young people are factored in during budget making processes.
The reproductive health officer says youth friendly facilities are inadequate and cannot suffice the needs of young people within the county.
“The county was to put up a youth friendly centre at Ziwa la ngombe but that one is still pending. As we speak YFCs are not sufficient,” said Mr Muganda.
Kadzandani Creative Youth Organisation executive director Omar Chai asked the county to allocate more resources on reproductive health.
He lamented over what he claimed was the tendency of the county leaving out young people during the budget making processes.
“During public participation politics normally dominate. Most of the youths’ demands are not taken into consideration during public participation gatherings,” said Chai.
On the issue of the mushrooming of juvenile gangs in some parts of Mombasa County, Mr Chai blamed parents on claims of failing to play their parental obligations.
He further rubbished claims that the security apparatus has failed adding
“We cannot always blame security agents because we also have a responsibility to ensure that we all co-exist peacefully amongst us,”
