Fikirini Jacobs challenges youths to acquire critical skills to uplift lives
By Luke Oluoch, June 29, 2025Youth Affairs and Creative Economy Principal Secretary Fikirini Jacobs has implored the youths to acquire necessary skills and use them to better the lives of people around them.
In a statement posted on his X page during the graduation ceremony of the IVF in Nairobi on Saturday, June 28, 2025, Jacobs acknowledged the importance of the budding population in transforming the country’s future.
He congratulated the over 12,000 youths who graduated from different soft skills programs under the International Youth Fellowship (IYF) Free Weekend Academy.
Backbone of the nation
“The youth form the backbone of our society, representing the present and the future, hence a great inspiration. This graduation is a forum to appreciate growth, resilience, and transformation,” he said.
Jacobs further urged the youths to exploit the avenues available to enhance their competencies and skills.
“The ministry is rolling out the National Youth Opportunity Towards Advancement. I encourage you to take full advantage of these opportunities to build on your training, refine skills, and use them not just to succeed individually but to uplift those around you,” he implored.
He also reiterated his call for youths to adopt a peaceful coexistence and national inclusivity.
Protests
“I emphasized the need for soft skills among our youth as a basic complement to our qualifications. I equally addressed the need to preach peaceful coexistence and respect for each other’s ideas and opinions while preserving and advancing our REPUBLIC. We need to embrace comradeship beyond the boundaries of our counties and community,” his statement on Facebook read.
His sentiments come after he challenged the youth on embracing the preservation of the nation even as they engage in their protests.
Speaking during the burial ceremony of the father of Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro at Dabaso on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, Fikirini emphasized that the preservation of the republic should come first in all agitations for good governance.
“While our ideas and ideologies may be diverse and complex, our fidelity must always be to the preservation and advancement of our republic,” Fikirini said.
“We may be having the best ideas on governance, but we need a country called Kenya to have all that to become a reality. That is where our focus and commitment should always be.”
His remarks then mirrored those of ODM Party leader Raila Odinga, who urged the protesters to be peaceful while clamouring for their rights as enshrined in the constitution.
“We are here, and there are other Kenyans on the streets as we speak. It is their right. Everyone has a right to air their opinions and demonstrate when they feel things are not going right. It’s in our constitution, but it must be done in a peaceful manner,” Raila said.