Oburu: Put youth unemployment at the heart of development agenda

ODM leader Oburu Oginga has called on leaders to place youth unemployment at the heart of Kenya’s development and democratic debate, warning that the country’s educated young people are increasingly finding themselves at a crossroads despite years of schooling and the acquisition of skills.

Oburu said the growing disconnect between education and employment was not merely an economic problem but a threat to social stability and the country’s democratic future.

In a speech read on his behalf by Jaoko Oginga during the handover ceremony of the Raila Amolo Odinga Mausoleum at Kango ka Jaramogi in Siaya County, Oburu challenged leaders to ensure that development translates into opportunities that enable young people to earn a decent livelihood and participate meaningfully in the economy.

“Our greatest concern today lies with our educated young men, brilliant, capable youth who have gone through school but find themselves at crossroads without job opportunities,” he said.

He argued that while infrastructure development remains important, it cannot be the sole measure of national progress.

“Infrastructure alone is not enough,” Oburu said, insisting that development must be cascaded into human development through the creation of “meaningful employment for our people.”

He called for greater emphasis on industrial, technological and agricultural sectors, which he said have the potential to absorb Kenya’s growing youth population and transform education and skills into productive extend beyond lost incomes.

He warned that young people who remain economically excluded can become frustrated and desperate, creating a risk to social cohesion and economic activity.

For Oburu, the consequences of failing to address youth unemployment extend beyond lost incomes. He warned that young people who remain economically excluded can become frustrated and desperate, creating a risk to social cohesion and democratic stability.

“True democratic stability is anchored on economic dignity,” he said.

The remarks placed employment at the centre of a wider conversation about democracy. Oburu argued that political freedoms and constitutional rights cannot be fully meaningful to young people who lack economic opportunities and the ability to build independent lives.

His intervention came as the Jaramogi Odinga family formally received the completed mausoleum dedicated to his late brother, former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga. The facility is designed to serve not only as a place of remembrance but also as a centre for preserving Kenya’s political history.

According to Oburu, the mausoleum will house a state-of-the-art library, historical archives, research materials and digital repositories documenting the country’s political evolution. Galleries and exhibition spaces will showcase artefacts, speeches and key moments in Kenya’s struggle for constitutional democracy.

“This mausoleum is not just a place of rest; it stands proudly as a living center of democracy,” he said.

The site also represents a political legacy spanning generations. Oburu recalled his father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, as a key figure in Kenya’s liberation struggle and pursuit of self-government.

He said Raila carried that struggle forward through the country’s second liberation, institutional reforms and the eventual adoption of the 2010 Constitution.

“This centre stands as proof that the long, painful march toward an open, democratic society started by the father and advanced by the son is an unbroken, sacred legacy that we must protect,” he said.

Oburu also highlighted the role of the Orange Democratic Movement in Kenya’s multiparty political history.

He described ODM as an important institution in the country’s democratic evolution and acknowledged its participation in the current broad-based government arrangement.

He credited the arrangement with contributing to political stability and pointed to infrastructure programmes, universal healthcare, agricultural support and education reforms as some of the initiatives undertaken.

But his central message remained that such investments must ultimately improve the lives of citizens.

The official opening of the mausoleum is scheduled for 15 October 2026, when it is expected to become a centre for research, political history and civic education.

Oburu, who said he was observing doctors’ instructions to rest and limit physical activity, told those gathered that his physical limitations had not diminished his commitment to the occasion.

“Even as I take this forced rest, my spirit, mind, and heart are fully present. May our dreams of a more prosperous, united and peaceful Kenya come true in this generation,” Oburu said.