WHERE IS THE YOUTH IN KENYA’S NATIONAL POWER PLAY?

By Sebastian Karani, DMCP | EoK Editor 

Kenya's Opposition Leaders forging an alliance ahead of 2027.

In Kenya today, the political chessboard is abuzz with realignments. From a government branding itself as “broad-based” to an already Tried-and-failed opposition reassembling in preparation for 2027, one question remains unanswered and ignored, Where is the place of the youth?

This is not just a rhetorical question. It is a cry echoing from the streets of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret, and Kakamega places where brave Gen Z youth stood up in 2024 to demand accountability, justice, and inclusion. They protested peacefully. They demanded that the recycling of old, tested — and often failed — leaders stop. They called for job creation, transparent governance, and real representation. In return, some were abducted, others injured, and tragically, a few lost their lives for daring to speak out.

Fast forward to 2025, the power games continue only this time, even louder and more exclusionary. While youth are credited with fueling campaigns and driving digital revolutions, they remain strategically sidelined in boardrooms and national appointments. Even those who bled and died for the cause last year are now distant memories in a political landscape that has moved on without a backward glance.

The so-called “broad-based government” appears more interested in rewarding familiarity than fostering fresh ideas. The opposition, while rebranding itself as the alternative, is also reshuffling old cards from expired decks. We are left wondering: What changed? Why is no one talking about the youth anymore? Is the goal only to remove Ruto while it's possible he's only a frying pan to be thrown into the fire? Do we really care about what the young people want? 

It is a bitter irony. The same young people who filled streets with chants of "We are not our ancestors" now find themselves ignored like relics of the past. Their calls for political reform and generational transition are met with silence, even as the same political class promises them “future opportunities.”

But the future is now! Kenya’s progress depends on actual youth inclusion, not cosmetic representation. Young people understand the digital economy, climate justice, innovation, creative economies, and the social realities of a rapidly changing world. They must not be token additions to political events — they must be central players at the decision-making table.

It is time to ask hard, uncomfortable questions:

Is Kenya ready to be led by its youth? Or will we continue to recycle the past at the expense of the present and the future?

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