Daniel Mwaka, the Executive Director of Youth Empowerment Hub. | Photo: Daniel Mwaka/Facebook.

A youth empowerment advocate in Juba is recommending the amendment of youth age limit to bring it down to 35 years in the constitution-making process.

Daniel Mwaka, the Executive Director of Youth Empowerment Hub, argues that some individuals, mainly those above 35 years of age still want the youth age limit at 45.

“We have recommended, we said a young person should be 18 to 35 but the other young people, those who are above 35 say no. They still feel like the fact that they are youth, and they want to increase it from 18 to 40 or to 45,” he said.

“But for us, we said no! Once I clock 35, I am no longer a youth. It is part of political interference because somebody wants to remain a youth to dominate the youth space.”

“You can’t dominate a youth space then you are above 35 you are already interfering in the youth space. So if you are above 35, you find another class, go to the elder league and try to get your cake from the rest of the age groups don’t say you are young don’t say you are a young person again.”

South Sudan’s Constitution of 2011 Amendments does not clearly define which age is suitable for youth.   

In January 2023, the Council of Ministers meeting chaired by President Salva Kiir gave a green light to the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to commence the process of drafting the permanent constitution of South Sudan.

The process was to start with reconstituting the defunct Constitutional Amendment Committee, forming a Constitutional Drafting Committee, and Preparatory Sub-committee.

According to the cabinet directives, the drafting committee was to begin the work after the necessary preparations are put in place.

While the Preparatory Sub-Committee was to deal with transactional and businesses of the National Constitutional Review Committee.