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Bishops to politicians: Stop using youth as election tools
A man brandishes a button as residents of Ol Kalou chase away vehicles carrying hooded gunmen who attempted to force their way into at AC Primary School polling station during the Ol Kalou by-election on July 16, 2026.
Catholic bishops from Eastern Africa have challenged governments, politicians, the Church and development partners to work together to address the needs of young people, warning against their exploitation during election campaigns and calling for greater investment in their future.
The appeal came at the close of the eight-day Plenary Assembly of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA), where bishops issued a communiqué centred on the place of young people in the Church and society.
Reading the statement on behalf of the bishops on Sunday, Rt Rev Martin Mtumbua of Karonga Diocese in Malawi said young people should no longer be viewed as spectators but as active partners in building both the Church and society.
He appealed to Catholics, governments, political leaders and people of goodwill to join hands in accompanying young people and helping them realise their full potential.
The bishops said supporting young people is a shared responsibility that requires action from families, religious institutions, governments and the wider community.
Addressing Catholics across Eastern Africa, they urged the faithful to welcome young people as genuine partners in the Church’s mission rather than simply recipients of pastoral care.
A protester waves a Kenyan flag along University Way in Nairobi during the commemoration of the Gen Z protests on June 25, 2025.
The bishops said parishes, Small Christian Communities and diocesan structures should become more open to young people’s voices and leadership while ensuring they receive formation rooted in Catholic Social Teaching.
They argued that creating opportunities for young people to participate in Church life would strengthen both their faith and their contribution to society.
The bishops also turned their attention to governments and public authorities, calling for policies that uphold human dignity and expand opportunities for young people.
They appealed for wider access to education, saying learning remains one of the strongest foundations for a stable future.
Beyond education, the bishops urged governments to create conditions that encourage entrepreneurship, promote decent work and support safe migration.
They also called for greater civic participation by young people and urged political leaders to demonstrate stronger commitment to resolving conflicts through dialogue instead of violence.
The strongest message in the communiqué, however, was reserved for politicians.
The bishops said young people had openly shared their frustration at being mobilised during election campaigns only to be abandoned once political contests end.
“They raised concerns about being used during election campaigns and forgotten after elections,” Bishop Mtumbua said while reading the statement.
The bishops described the concerns as a moral challenge to political leaders.
Calling it a “call to conscience,” they urged politicians to abandon practices that manipulate young people for political advantage.
“We insist on an end to the exploitation of youth for political gain,” the bishops said in the communiqué.
Police officers arrest protesters outside Parliament Buildings on June 25, 2026 during the second anniversary of the Gen Z anti-Finance Bill protests.
Instead of treating young people as campaign tools, they challenged leaders to inspire them through integrity and service.
“The Bishops therefore invited political leaders to become models who inspire hope,” Bishop Mtumbua said.
The message comes amid growing concern across the region over youth unemployment, political exclusion and the role young people often play during election periods.
The bishops said lasting change would require leaders who genuinely invest in young people rather than remembering them only during campaigns.
Beyond governments and politicians, the Church leaders appealed to ecumenical and interreligious organisations, corporate institutions and development partners to strengthen programmes targeting the youth.
They said partnerships should focus on building pastoral, psycho-social, educational and digital support structures that equip young people with the skills and opportunities needed to thrive.
The bishops stressed that the Church cannot meet these challenges alone and called for collaboration across all sectors.
At the heart of their message was a reminder that young people should not merely be viewed as tomorrow’s leaders.
“The youth are not only the future of the Church and society but already its present,” the bishops said.
They said recognising young people as today’s partners would encourage greater participation in decision-making and strengthen communities across the region.
They reminded young people not to allow their age to become a source of discouragement.
Instead, they urged them to become role models through the way they live.
The bishops quoted the biblical exhortation urging young people not to let anyone “ook down on them because of their youth, but be an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.”
They also encouraged young people to continue deepening their relationship with Christ through the spirit of synodality.
The communiqué concluded with an appeal to all people of goodwill to work with the Church in supporting the region’s young people.
The bishops said such cooperation would help build “bridges of communion, hope, justice, and good governance” across Eastern Africa.
Closing the assembly, Archbishop Gervus Nyaisonga thanked the AMECEA Secretariat, the leadership of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), partner institutions and all collaborators who contributed to the success of the meeting.
He also expressed gratitude to the Government and the people of Kenya for hosting the gathering.
In a special message to young people, Archbishop Nyaisonga thanked them for their active participation throughout the assembly and praised their openness.
The Archbishop urged them to stay committed to “building a future rooted in hope, communion, and service,” saying their contribution would remain vital to both the Church and society.
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