As Kenya nears the 2027 General Election, young people are preparing to enter the political arena. A survey by the Youth Congress has found that 113 young Kenyans so far are seeking elective seats, most of them targeting Member of County Assembly (MCA) positions.
Of those surveyed, 74 want MCA seats, 21 want to become MPs, seven are eyeing women representative seats, six are targeting the Senate, and one wants to be governor.
“There is no youth running to be President,” the Youth Congress reported as per the time of the survey.
Raphael Obonyo, the organisation’s Chief Executive Officer, told Nation the survey, conducted between June 1 and July 31, 2026, sought to establish how many young people plan to contest, which seats they want and why.
Thirty-five per cent of respondents were aged 23 to 26 and 31 per cent were between 31 and 35. Those aged 27 to 30 accounted for 27 per cent, and 6.2 per cent were aged 18 to 22.
“Those approaching 35 years might have other responsibilities competing for their time and resources,” Obonyo said.
Protesters along Kenyatta Avenue in Nairobi during the commemoration of Gen-Z protests on June 25, 2025.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
Poor service delivery drove many of them, from gaps in water and sanitation, healthcare, waste management and agriculture to unemployment.
“Some said that they are entering politics out of frustration with existing leadership,” Obonyo said. Others believe they would represent youth better because they understand the challenges of their generation.
“In Nairobi, Kakamega, Nakuru, Kisumu, Kiambu and Mombasa counties, young people want to be involved in garbage collection and environmental conservation, with some earning a living from the work,” he said. They want counties to bring those initiatives into formal programmes.
Some respondents saw opportunities in the creative economy, technology, sports and the blue, green and orange economies, but felt leaders had not recognised them. Connectivity was another worry, especially outside major urban centres, where some aspirants felt leaders prioritised roads, markets and hospitals over technology.
Limited money could explain the pull of county assembly seats, which may be cheaper to contest.
“For some, it is an opportunity to gain political experience before contesting for higher seats,” Obonyo noted.
Women made up 15 per cent of respondents and men 85 per cent. The Youth Congress said young women face online and offline violence, inadequate campaign resources and patriarchal attitudes.
“In some cases, even older women discouraged younger women from seeking elective office,” Obonyo explained.
Gen Z protesters who showed up to the anti-finance bill 2024
Photo credit: File| Nation Media Group
Some female aspirants want to push for issues such as access to sanitary pads, which they say come up in campaigns but are dropped after elections.
The 2024 Gen Z-led protests against the Finance Bill mobilised thousands of young people across the country.
Meshack Kiprotich, 23, KANU’s Secretary for Youth Affairs, joined demonstrations in Nairobi before returning to mobilise young people in Kericho. The experience convinced him young people had shown their political power, but what followed changed his thinking.
“Following the formation of the broad-based government and subsequent political developments, I began questioning whether protests alone could deliver the structural reforms young people were demanding,” he said. “We need young people to become lawmakers. We should not always be outside protesting against laws. We should also be inside making better laws.”
The numbers show the scale of the challenge. According to the IEBC, voters aged 18 to 35 made up 51 per cent of registered voters in 2017 but 39.84 per cent in 2022. In 2017, 3,428 young people contested elective positions and 314 won, about nine per cent. Of those, 287 became MCAs, 17 entered the National Assembly, six won Senate seats, three became women representatives, and one became governor. Women were 219 of the young candidates and 19 of those elected.
Allans Ademba, a Kenyan photojournalist, youth advocate and human rights defender, speaks during the Youth Congress’ Katiba Roll of Honour award ceremony at Alliance Française in Nairobi on August 28, 2026. Ademba was among individuals honoured for championing the 2010 Constitution.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
On Katiba Day, August 27, 2026, Allans Ademba of the ‘Tuko Kadi’ initiative said the voter registration campaign had raised the number of registered voters involved in the movement to about 2.9 million, from 2.6 million.
“That means within that period, we were able to register 300,000 new people,” he said. He wants six million registered and at least 100 elective seats won by young people.
“A registered voter will always be better than an unregistered protester,” he said.
The IEBC’s April 30, 2026 report credited expanded registration centres in universities, TVET institutions, Huduma Centres and IEBC offices for higher uptake among youth and first-time voters.
Many respondents have yet to settle on a party, and others want to run as independents.
“Most of them are interested in running as independents,” Obonyo noted.
