Post: Religious leaders call for community inclusion in development

Religious leaders from the six coastal counties, in collaboration with the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), are set to embark on a sensitisation campaign to address burgeoning unemployment among the youth and inclusion of the community in development.Speaking at a Mombasa hotel on Wednesday, Muslim leader, Sheikh Abu Qatada said that the discussion is aimed at seeking ways in which the community can work closely with the government to ensure they get a fair share in the distribution of job opportunities to the young people in the region.'We commend KPA for joining hands with religious leaders in the quest for enhancing community development, especially for the people at the grassroots level through awareness creation on various resourceful ways the community can benefit from human resources and other job opportunities, including government tenders,' said Abu Qattada.At the same time, he urged the community to focus on their constitutional rights and not to be left out of benefiting from the various governm ent job opportunities.A Christian religious leader who is also a board member of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), Bishop Paul Mwaura, noted that the forum serves as a platform to encourage community leaders to work together for the betterment of their people.'A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step; hence, this meeting marks our first step towards networking, learning, and benefiting from each other as community leaders to improve the lives of our people,' said Bishop Mwaura.The government is encouraged to involve community leaders in the utilisation of local resources to benefit the host communities.'Lack of employment is a major concern in the Coast region; hence, this forum is geared towards capitalising on our unity and opportunities and bringing together our resources to advocate for a fair share for our youths in job opportunities within the six coastal counties,' stated Said Mabrouk, a Community Leader.In addition, he elucidated that the forum also aims at gett ing a better understanding of constitutional laws regarding human resources, including raw materials sourced within the various areas.The information will be used to educate the community on ways to explore job opportunities to address unemployment.'There's a need for community leaders to take up the responsibility of direct participation in matters concerning their people rather than leaving it to our political leaders. This will ensure our inclusion in decision-making and implementation of positive changes within our communities,' noted Mabrouk.The religious leaders will engage other government agencies to enhance development and to address teething challenges facing various projects.Source: Kenya News Agency