The Notable National Youth Leaders Caucus (NNYLC) met on January 17Th, 2022, at the Sankara Hotel, to address the youth and social economic consequences of Kenya’s peaceful and fair elections through mobilization and sensitization of massive voter registration. Nairobi Senator, Hon. Johnson Sakaja, Hon. Sen. Ngugi IG, Hon. Gideo Keter, Hon. Oduor Ongwen, Executive Director ODM Party, Secretary General of Young MCAs Hon. Chris Mark, Hon. Stazo Omung’ala, and other dignitaries attended the forum, which was organized by International Republican Institute (IRI).
Youth, operationally, can be defined as the active phase of one’s life, particularly between the ages of 18 and 35, which is driven by productive and counter-productive tendencies. Youth often want to explore ways to positively deploy their God-given talents, strengths, energies, skills, and knowledge to better the lot of those around them; youths are more likely to engage in social vices and crimes such as drug abuse, gangsterism, ballot box snatching, electoral violence, and so on.
Similarly, the political process entails all of the steps that are consistent with well-established democratic principles that are implemented by the electorate, political parties, election management bodies, and other critical stakeholders prior to, during, and after elections are held in order to establish political leadership at the level of governance. Thus, political participation includes, but is not limited to, registering to vote, obtaining a voter’s card, being active in campaigns, either as a member of a political party or as a person who is very interested in the critical issues concerning elections, voting in an election, actively participating in political debates at informal or formal levels, providing financial assistance to political parties, contesting for elective positions, and attending political rallies
Kenya, like the majority of African countries, has encountered great challenges in establishing political organizations that transcend individualistic, idiosyncratic, and ethnically based politics.
Patronage and the allocation of political benefits aided Kenyan elites in managing ethnic divides for the majority of the post-colonial era. Since the restart of competitive politics in the early 1990s,
youth engagement in active spaces in elective posts at both the national and political party levels has remained stunted, owing to the pervasiveness of coalitions-cum-political movements. In the short to medium term, these movements provide some political stability, but in the long run, they contain the seeds of ethnic catastrophe along the lines witnessed in Kenya after the 2007 elections (PEV).
More importantly, the NNYLC conference was enraged about what youths can do individually and collectively to guarantee that the August 2022 elections are peaceful and fair. Ethnic divisive politics seen during campaigns that incite youth to join wars and bloodshed has a significant impact. Kenya has over 40 tribes, and cross-ethnic marriages are under threat due to increased hatred and suspicion, which reduces harmony and peace among communities, particularly during electioneering periods. Kenya is an agricultural economy, and we anticipate a high production and economic stability during peacetime due to adequate food availability and surplus for export. These can be attained by bringing peace and justice together throughout the political transition, not just during it.
The following issues can be addressed constitutionally: youth unemployment, national cohesion and integration, respect for the rule of law and the elimination of impunity, land and social economic disparities. The resolution of these concerns through effective governance may pave the way for long-term development. When peace flourishes, citizens reap the benefits of social, justice, and financial and social capital, which are nurtured for economic sustainability. Given our numbers, youths are the next wave of change in this country, and they are critical to ensuring peace, resilience, and long-term prosperity. Elections are about going after someone’s vote rather than someone’s life.
In conclusion, in magnifying youth visibility in political arena, the youths have been far in the bouncing castle and on the menu. It is high time for them to be fight their place in the main tent and be on the negotiation table. This can only be achieved through massive registration process and voting in the right youthful leaders who will address their despair and create rule that will favour them in the national executive.
Statement of the Problem
More often than not, youth groups are inactive, indifferent, and apathetic about “Election” matters, detaching themselves from registration and political democratic procedures such as electioneering. As a result, they tend to be more inactive, jaded, and disillusioned from active participants in their democratic process, despite the fact that youths account for about 70% of the entire population in Kenya, according to Kenya Burial of Statistics.
According to the Kenya Youth Report, 90% of the youths knows it is important to vote, 62% of the youth are vulnerable to vote in favour of electoral bribery,40% of them only vote when bribed, 40% of them trust politicians,65% of them trust the government, 94% of them trust their family, 86% of them trust religious organizations, 40% of them identify themselves as youth first while 5% of them are identified with ethnic group during the voting process.
In this context, NNYLS is concerned with reviving voter registration drives for youth around the country through town-hall meetings, social media marketing, media campaigns, social events, and through other democratically elected and managed structures aimed at restoring, mobilizing and sensitizing total inclusivity and direct democracy amongst the youths to take part in elective positions and vote wisely for good leader who will foster and promote economic stability to curb rising unemployment rate among the youth, climate change action that is causing drought and unfavorable agricultural conditions, sustainable development for easy access to resources, security, peace and reconciliation for conducive environment where business and agriculture can thrive well.
Youth as Leaders who transform the society by Building Bridges
As citizens of this country, we have a constitutional right to engage in public affairs. Our is a major obligation, and the youth of this country should be more aware of it and take full responsibility for it. Leadership entails taking responsibility seriously at the appropriate time, in the right place, with the right people, and for the right reason. This implies that we must denounce acts of violence, corruption, and hate speech. We must preach peach, be your brother’s keeper, and learn the art of principled compromise in order to move our country forward. Youth leaders remain optimistic that this nonviolent movement will limit the number of political disputes and lead to a free and fair election in which all of our hopes and economic demands for a healthy society will be met.
Youth presence in national agenda
For many years, our country has been defined by inequity and social economic concerns created by rising unemployment and youth harassment, despite the fact that youths are a nation’s prosperity. The national leadership is so estranged, motivated by self-interest and the quest of power through ethnic and regional mobilization, and pushed by political and economic elite who do not have hope for the next generation. To guide the country and its youth to equal resource distribution and growth, independent of area or ethnic lineage, a different form of leadership is required. This type of leadership will be youthful, intercultural, and forward-thinking. We can provide boundary-crossing leadership and transform our society by giving leadership based on our collective humanity. Through the slogan “Elections are about going for someone’s vote NOT someone’s life,” the trans-nationality of Kenyan youngsters will be beneficial in the pursuit of peace and justice.
The youth participation through the civil society.
Civil society is a diverse formal or informal organization that is non-governmental and non-profit and occupies actors in societies. Youths can position themselves inside civil society in order to bring meaningful carnage at the community level, which can be a linkage to the national political or leadership level within the youths. Civil society enables both economic and social development even in the absence of state machinery.
Communities in postcolonial Africa have resorted to youth and intellectuals to give leadership in the face of political and economic subjugation. In Uganda, for example, youths and intellectual were key actors in the ouster of Idd Amin, who led by persecution and dictatorship during his period as president.
In Kenya, university students led by their leaders protested the ruling regime’s excessive rule of law in the 1980s and 1990s. This was also a crucial objective in the people-driven dispensation of Kenya’s current Constitution of 2010. The University of Nairobi and Kenyatta University have demonstrated their ability to keep the political elite on their toes. The youth in educational institutions have been able to further their democratic agenda through the leadership of university students.
Youth as peace makers
The constitution of Kenya 2010, provides youth with major opportunity to drive change. Youth leadership should say No to manipulation during this electioneering period.
Youth should vote in youthful leaders by actively taking part in the political process. Youth leaders should be in the fore front of fostering peace and unity amongst the youths by advocating the importance of political process, leadership and governance to the fellow youths.
According to PEV 2008 findings by the commission of inquiry;
- Politicians have used violence in order to attain or retain powers.
- Growing power and personalization of presidency: communities feel that in order for them to access resources they need presidency.
- The growing population of poor and unemployed youth who lack social opportunities and end up joining organized gangs some protected within the government and security. forces.
Recommendations
One way of orienting our thoughts as youth is embarking on national building projects by practicing virtues that leads to economic growth through proper leadership that will give room for innovation and creativity amongst the youth in various multisectorial. These can be achieved through:
- Fostering a change in national identity and belonging among the youth through the electoral process in peace and tranquility.
- Workout social economic development programs for equitable distribution of resource amongst all the regions nationally and locally.
- Encourage inter-ethnic and inter-racial harmony while reducing prejudice and discrimination among youth.
- Youth exchange programs, intermarriages, responsible journalism, inter-ethical educational institutions, public broadcasting, conflict sensitive language, and encouraging cohesiveness and integration mechanisms can all help to attain these goals.
- Entrench protection of human rights, justice and integrity in private and public life
- Encouraging more young people to participate in political leadership through mobilization and sensitization during this registration process. Expand the social and political space for civil society activity so that many youth people can participate in government at all levels.
Conclusion
The Ethinitization of politics, combined with systemic patronage, resulted in unequal access to basic requirements and the enjoyment of people’s fundamental rights. Politics is not all about winning and it requires a financial plan and strategy. Youth are the current and future ambassadors and their participation will ensure equitable resources are brought on the table and they take part in the distribution process.
People-centeredness in perspective and action is encouraged by the development paradigm. This is a reinterpretation of young participation in national leadership as a means of nurturing development through the application of valuable team skills. This integrated and comprehensive view of development will draw from disparate knowledge systems and contextualize them in the modern environment.
The solution to youthful emancipation in Kenyan politics appears to be enabling democracy to grow in order to eventually convert the youth’s numerical superiority into practical strength. However, addressing youth agency in Kenya is more challenging than most actors are ready to recognize. The old men are in control alongside weak youngsters who appear to be attempting to impose political influence. It’s almost as if you’re asking a pugilist to hit himself when he’s already won. In reality, the youth’s sole strength is their large number, which is far from sufficient to induce a profound shift in the country’s bastion of power and economic domination. According to all indications, there is a greater need for supranational and international entities to monitor the political and economic balance.
The events in these countries necessitate that international bodies keep a careful eye on them to guarantee that the fundamental concepts of democracy are not overlooked. To build an enabling political environment for youths, the NNLC should advocate for and enforce the rule of law and youth mobilization through the ongoing registration process. There have been reports of a high rate of unemployment, victimization, harassment, incarceration, and even extra-judicial killings of obnoxious adolescents from civic societies. However, genuine democracy can only develop in the setting of healthy youth leaders and organizations, bringing the much-desired democratic dividend for Kenya’s youths to lead and prosper.
During the violence, youth, whose growing lives are truncated, are usually the most hit in the event of breakdown of law and order; they are usually the ones utilized by the leaders of militias to prosecute the wars. However, the organization’s initial mandate to foster economic and socio-cultural cooperation and integration of youths can only be achieved by actively ensuring that massive registration of the youths and democratic values are entrenched in party primaries and general elections for the youths to be elected in various positions.
