Participants during the Shujaaz Memorial concert held on July 7, 2024 at Uhuru Park in Nairobi.
Just in case you doubt the importance of youth in terms of political engagement, think briefly about recent elections in Senegal and Botswana, countries in which young people upended politics.
Last year, Senegal swore in its youngest democratically elected president. The 44-year-old, little known Basirou Diomaye Faye, received overwhelming support from young Senegalese in the country’s presidential election that saw him garner a winning 54 per cent of the vote in the first round.
The youth had been misused, underused or abused before in politics, with the old guard routinely winning with their vote. Faye’s victory, it turns out, was the fruit borne out of active participation by the youth who had previous only been considered as angry mobs of stone-throwing thugs.
Down south, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) that had been in power since 1966, misread the country’s mood and lost massively.
The high turnout of the youth in the election is considered to be the reason behind the significant defeat suffered by BDP in the 2024 general elections.
In Kenya, 2027 is a decisive year and the country will be grappling with politics in the coming months. Being a monumental election, the competition is expected to be intense.
Going by the recent Gen Z protests, more new entrants are expected in the political scene in all elective positions, as has happened in every electoral cycle, with many incumbents not making it back.
And over the past few months, we’ve seen young people in every corner of the country making a case for their push to bring about real change.
Young people have helped lead great movements, including the fight for multi-party democracy and the quest for constitutional reforms. It is inspiring to see so many smart, fearless young Kenyans standing up and fighting for their rights – organising peaceful protests to rally for their cause. Honestly, we've been waiting for these youth, and they deserve everyone’s support.
This young generation should make Kenyans optimistic about our future. By protesting, they’re speaking up and shining a light on injustice. One way of supporting them is to vote for people who’ll respond to our concerns.
Gen Zs should lead the way in the charge for good governance by mobilising, registering and turning out to vote for the change they want. Most importantly, young people should get involved in governance.
At the same time, Gen Zs should come to the table with youth-friendly proposals. For example, the number of youth to be nominated for political office by parties, memoranda on systemic challenges like youth unemployment, and lower taxation to support entrepreneurship.
Over the years, the political class has often seduced young voters, used them to add to their vote baskets and left them disillusioned.
Ultimately, it should not be lost to Kenyans that the participation of youth in politics is critical to the future of the country. Youth participation matters.
Mr Obonyo is a public policy analyst. [email protected]
