Youths in Machakos County are now part of a Multi-sectoral Forum on Peace and Security following an initiative by County Commissioner Josephine Ouko.

Ms Ouko has established a County Multi-Sectoral Coordination and Collaboration Forum on Peace and Security which will help build bridges among conflicting parties.

The Forum brought together various stakeholders in the county such as Local Peace Committee, Nyumba Kumi officials, Organised Youth-Led Organisation, national government departments, county government, Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Boda boda sector, religious leaders and People Living with Disabilities (PLWDs).

Ms Ouko said the aim of the forum is to foster dialogue and collaboration among different conflicting sectors which will encourage and promote peace and security in the county.

While speaking on Monday during the forum at the Machakos Tourism and Culture boardroom, Ms Ouko emphasised on the importance of identifying sources of conflict and addressing the grievances early enough in relation to the protests that have rocked the country in the past few months.

“It is the responsibility of every committee member to foster peace by building trust and promoting interactions with Gen Zs which will help reduce the violence and destruction of property during protests,” Ms Ouko said.

She decried the expenses the government has had to incur when using teargas every week yet those funds could be used to bring development to the entire country.

Additionally she noted that the responsibility of the forum is to enhance conflict early warning and response with the youth and also to facilitate conflict resolution and dispute settlement.

"Interact with your children and the youths and get to know their grievances so that we can address their issues before it gets out of hand," she said.

The County Commissioner pointed out that the forum is also tasked with conducting monitoring and evaluation of peace and security in the county and Sub-County level and initiating information sharing among stakeholders in Machakos.

This comes just a few weeks after demonstrations from Gen Zs rocked the country as they demanded accountability from their leaders as well as condemning the appointment of the new Cabinet Secretaries (CSs).