Former President Uhuru Kenyatta has called on young Africans to take leadership into their own hands today, warning that those who wait for the future to hand them power risk missing their moment.

Speaking at the IGAD Leadership Academy (ILA) Annual Alumni Conference at Windsor Hotel, Nairobi, on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, Kenyatta warned that viewing youth as ‘leaders of tomorrow’ is a trap that delays real change.

”If you continue believing you are the leaders of tomorrow, that tomorrow will never come. You are the leaders of today. Your ideas, your courage, your personal commitment will shape the future of Africa,” Uhuru Kenyatta.

He pointed to Kenyan figures like Tom Mboya and Kenneth Matiba, who shaped politics in their twenties, and praised today’s young people tackling social challenges as a true movement for Africa’s renewal.

IGAD Executive Secretary Dr. Workneh Gebeyehu and Senator Crystal Asige reinforced the message, stressing youth investment for peace and better choices amid regional tensions like unemployment and transitions.