Youths have been advised to explore agribusiness and other money-making ventures within their counties instead of moving to cities.
The National Council for Population and Population director Parveen Sigei urged the youthful generation to focus on developing their skills at the counties as a way of minimising rural-urban migration.
The increasing rural to urban movement would cripple key sectors like agriculture thus affecting the economy.
Sigei said young people should embrace the technical and vocational training centres within their areas to develop their skills and help in self-employment and creation of more jobs in rural areas.
"Don't leave your county and go to other places because when you leave, by the time jobs are advertised you will not be there. We urge them to use their acquired skills to develop their counties," Sigei said.
He spoke during the Kenya National Population Policy for Sustainable Development dissemination forum at Mwatate, Taita Taveta county on Tuesday.
Sigei said youths have a great potential to impact changes within their counties.
Minimising rural-urban movement will play a role in helping devolved units capitalise on a pool of skills acquired from TVETs.
"Our research has shown that so many people are moving to cities. Like here in Taita Taveta they are moving out of the county. This affects local development within the county," he said.
The national population policy, Sigei said, provides a strategic, harmonised and comprehensive framework aimed at addressing prevailing and emerging demographic challenges while promoting sustainable development.
Further, it is meant to address key issues affecting local development including climate change, maternal healthcare, early marriages and teen pregnancies, among other issues.
"This report is up to the county governments and other state agencies within the counties to take it up and align their County Integrated Development Plans to the demographic data," Sigei said.
NCPD board member Jacinta Mutegi asked county governments to use the report for effective resource allocation to key sectors.
Mutegi said there was a need to empower the youth to gain meaningful jobs from skills acquired in TVETs for accelerated economic development.
She also pointed out the need to involve girls and women and sensitise them on mitigating the effects of climate change as they bear the brunt of the effects.
"Girls and women are the ones who suffer more when there is not enough rain,hence poor harvest. They should be empowered and sensitised to build resilience," Mutegi said.
She further advised the Taita Taveta county government to empower communities living in potential mining areas and help in formation of cooperative societies in the rural areas to help farmers market their produce.
Taita Taveta county commissioner Josephine Onunga said the Kenya National Population Policy for Sustainable Development is a key document in implementation of government programmes.
The administrator said the document is rich in key data and information that is supposed to be the baseline ingredient in all the action plans and development programmes.
"The synergies that this document is bringing in between the two levels of government is very critical towards implementation of the programmes we are working on," Onunga said.
