The Youth and Political Engagement in Kenya!!!

Vijana (Youth) wa Kenya; The Time is Now!!!!!!

During the Struggle for Multipartism in Kenya, the youth ranging from student bodies at our institutions of higher learning to different other platforms, were quite vociferous in urging for the creation of a Democratic State that Kenya is deemed to be slowly metamorphosing into subsequent to the repeal of Section 2A of the Constitution.

The above notwithstanding, my biggest concern lies in the fact that ever since those dark days that gripped the Kenyan political architecture and with the advent of multipartism, the youth have somewhat been isolated, withdrawn or disengaged from political participation and institutions even though this trait by the youth has been blamed on "APATHY".

Assuming that it is a case of apathy, how best do we resolve the problem to the extent that the Kenyan youth occupies his rightful place within the Kenyan political discourse and by virtue of such position is able wrest from the Baby Boomers the political destiny of this country and be able to nurture the ideals of an egalitarian society in our nation.

In the State and Social Transformations, it has been argued that,

" The defining feature of a democratic state is that it champions the aspirations of the disadvantaged majority who have endured decades of undemocratic rule. Its primary task is to work for the emancipation of the majority, the working people, the urban poor, the rural poor, the women, the YOUTH and the disabled. It is the task of this democratic state to champion the cause of these people in such a way that the most basic aspirations of this majority assumes the status of hegemony which informs and guides policy and practice of all the institutions of government and state."

Therefore, it is clear that the youth are a vital component of the state corpus even though "Young apathy" is quite common and an increasingly worrying trend that has been blamed on the Kenyan youth in so far as Political Participation is concerned. The low levels of voter turnout among the youth has been used as proof of youth apathy. While voting is only one of the mechanisms through which citizens voice their needs in a democratic system, it is the most basic level of participation. Therefore, it can be used as a basis for assessing the levels of political engagement more generally.

This phenomenon has been more clearly explained as;

"The generational explanation is based on the idea that low turnout among young electors is not explained by their lack of political experience and integration, but rather by the fact that they belong to a generation that does not attach enough importance to the electoral process, or feels excluded or alienated from politics, in part due to a particularly demobilisatory socialising process common to the whole cohort."

It is in view of the foregoing that am desirous of agitating for a youth political revolution to the extent that the Kenyan youth has his voice heard within the sphere of politics in Kenya. The time is nigh for the vast majority of the population of which the youth are, to come out and take their fair share of the National Cake through Participation.

It has been proven numerous times by the baby boomers (of which some are growing senile or evolving into deadwood and yet they are the calling the political shots) that they do not have the best interests of the youth at heart for they view us (youth) as competitors and consequently are keen on suppressing us by maintaining the status quo. It is inconceivable that the bulk of the youth are hungry, unemployed, disenfranchised, faced with persistent cases of disenchantment, bleak futures amongst many others in a nation with high potential and vast resources like Kenya.

As has been said by many before me and possibly many after me, the basic starting point for participation on the part of the youth is by way of exercising their right to vote as well as crafting political vehicles or platforms for use in championing their causes. No one else is going to do this other than the disenfranchised lot that the Kenyan youth is increasingly evolving into.