Kenya is a youthful country, with approximately 75% of its population falling within the range of 18-35 years. The Constitution guarantees the right to vote to every Kenyan citizen above 18 years of age, ensuring that the election process is inclusive and representative. Even though youth account for over 70% of Kenya's population, they only comprised about 40% of newly registered voters in the latest election.

The constitution has provided affirmative action for the youth to enhance their participation. Article 55 of the Constitution provides that the state shall take affirmative action to ensure the youth are represented and participate in political spheres. The constitution in Article 100 provides for the youth to be included as part of the 12 nominated members of the national assembly to be elected through proportional representation and 2 youth members of the senate to be elected through proportional representation. Further the article provides for the youth to be included as part of the 4 representing marginalized groups in every County Assembly. Youth can also contribute to the policy making process. This ensures that the voices of the youth are heard and incorporated in the electoral policies and other governance structures.

The country  has the opportunity to provide a platform for young people to engage in critical thinking about the myriad problems and concerns affecting the society. Through these activities, we will be nurturing upcoming leaders and enhancing stakeholder knowledge and skills. Capacity and leadership development is always important to galvanize reforms in a country in general. Engaging youth in the political process should not be done solely to confirm that a democracy is working because more youth are voting. We should engage youth in order to transform the way decisions are made in the national and county levels. 

When youth are included in the decision making process, the government becomes a more inclusive institution. Furthermore, youth are an untapped source of new ideas that can result in greater political success. By mainstreaming youth participation in its management and leadership structures, stakeholders in the political process have the opportunity to identify, tap, nurture, and train emerging youth leaders who can provide future leadership. Through youth congresses, youth wings, youth clubs, and/or other forums and structures, youth become an integrated part of governance structure at local and national levels. Developing youth programmes includes short-term, middle-term and long-term strategies and activities. Relevant stakeholders can develop and internalize concrete qualitative and quantitative indicators of achievement as well as risk analysis for the youth development programmes. 

Apart from that, the Constitution is essential in preventing electoral malpractice and ensuring transparency during Kenya's elections. It mandates that elections be held within specified time frames and establishes mechanisms for resolving election disputes. It establishes the separation of powers, guaranteeing checks and balances among the three branches of government and preventing any single entity from becoming too powerful. The constitution enshrines crucial rights such as freedom of speech, assembly, and religion. These rights allow individuals, including young people, to actively engage in political discourse and contribute to shaping public opinion.

According to the African Union and COMESA Election Observation Mission observation report, despite the high youth population (18-35 years), there was low youth registration in the 2022 GE, representing 39.84% (8,812,790) of the total registered voters;  a decline of 5.17% from the 2017 figures. The low youth participation was attributed to the general conception that the votes do not count in the elections, lack of trust and confidence in the political system and the youth’s unemployment and poverty challenges.

In December 2021, Parliament passed the Political Parties Amendment Act 2022, which has significant implications for the youth in Kenya as it seeks to increase the participation and representation of young people in political parties. The Act requires political parties to allocate 15%  of their positions to individuals under the age of 35 years. This provision is a positive step towards empowering the youth and giving them a voice in the decision-making processes of political parties.

During the 2022 General Elections, thousands of youth were interested, motivated, and willing to vie, but funding was a challenge. It was also noted that the registration messaging systems did not directly target young people and attempted to utilize digital platforms during outreach. In Mombasa, Nakuru, Nairobi, and Kisumu, youth gangs were hired by candidates to disrupt opponents’ campaign events or dissuade voters from casting their ballots during the nomination process.

In June of 2022, The Youth Cafe and other youth organizations trained dozens of young voter educators at the county level on the electoral legal framework and voting procedures, in cooperation with the IEBC’s Youth Coordinating Committee. This initiative outpaced the IEBC’s voter education program which began in mid-July. For the first time, the IEBC also accredited hundreds of students from the Universities and Colleges Students’ Peace Association of Kenya as election observers.

The Youth Cafe (TYC), a youth-led organization aimed at achieving sustainable development, social equity, innovative solutions, community resilience, and transformative change, believes that when young people are given the chance to have informed involvement in economic, social and political life, they can build a prosperous and peaceful future for Kenya. TYC promotes accountability initiatives and increases advocacy for political stability and good governance to ensure there is a transparent, democratic, and accountable environment while enhancing further collaboration among stakeholders. 

This report has the following objectives:

• To enhance the nature of political systems, democratic values and underscore the importance of youth engagement in Kenya's political process.

• To gain insights into future opportunities and identify gaps for youth to engage with political leaders and decision-makers, fostering better democratic values.

• To monitor trends in youth representation and participation across various political parties, counties and elective positions.

• To provide recommendations to enhance youth political participation in future elections.

This report is divided into eight parts, namely; i) Election Environment  ii)Introduction , iii) Methodology, iv) The Legal Framework, v) Key Institutions Responsible for Political Participation and Elections and vi) Youth issues in the Elections vi) Conclusion, and vii) Recommendation. The later part is the Annexes which consists of questionnaires guide, The Youth Cafe’s past project on Political participation of Young People, a list of Organisations invited to the interview, a list of political parties in Kenya, candidates who were youths during the 9th August 2022 General Election and a list of party coalitions in Kenya.

This report is The Youth Cafe’s review of youth participation in 2022 General elections in Kenya. It builds on the previous reports by adding new data from the last three general elections, using age data from official electoral datasets., as well as other quantitative and qualitative data from 47 counties. The data is current as at 16 February 2023. Scholarly studies and information from interviews also helped provide a full picture of youth participation before, during and after elections in 2022. Key findings and examples of good practices on addressing youth under-representation are included throughout the report, as are recommendations for further action.

This is part of The Youth Cafe publication series in support of enfanchisement, empowerment, and inclusion of youth in all levels of democratic participation at national, regional, and global levels

About The Youth Cafe

The Youth Café: The Youth Cafe (TYC) has been actively promoting equality and empowering youth since 2014. They have reached 1,780,000 young individuals, focusing on addressing the unique challenges faced by marginalized communities. TYC equips young people with the necessary tools, skills, and networks to engage with decision-makers, enhancing service delivery and policy implementation. Through initiatives like the Public Financial Management program, TYC has seen significant impact, with 78% of young leaders in Kenya increasing their knowledge in areas such as corruption and the tax system. The organization has also facilitated the development of the Kenya Youth Manifesto 2022, empowering youth to influence those in power and drive positive change in their communities. The 'My Voice' program provides a platform for youth to engage in democratic processes and improve their financial management knowledge. Accountability advocates have trained over 19,560 young people in their rights and responsibilities, leading to increased responsiveness to issues raised by youth, especially women.