Kenya’s democratic story has, over three decades, been one of hard-won expansion, from the repeal of Section 2A in 1991, which ended the country’s single-party era, to the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution, which reimagined the relationship between citizens and the State.
Kenya has steadily widened the space for citizens to participate in leadership and governance. Each electoral cycle has tested how far this constitutional promise has reached ordinary citizens.
With the country barely a year away from the 2027 General Election, the question is consequential: who is shaping the narrative that will define Kenya’s political future, and who will be asked to live with its outcome?
The commemoration of International Democracy Day on September 15, 2026 brought together stakeholders, including young people, at an opportune moment. Young people, who make up close to 57 per cent of the country’s voting bloc, are not a peripheral constituency. Numerically, they are the majority.
In 2024, young people mobilised in the digital space, reading the Finance Bill clause by clause and explaining it in Kiswahili and local dialects across social media. They organised demonstrations, provided medical and legal aid to protesters in real time and helped force the withdrawal of legislation that had already been passed by the National Assembly, largely through peaceful, constitutionally protected assembly.
Two years later, they continue to engage by crowdsourcing budget documents, tracking bursary disbursements, supporting civic education and public participation, and running campaigns, such as “Niko Kadi”, which encourages voter registration.
While these efforts deserve recognition, translating a strong digital voice into durable democratic gains requires sustained engagement with processes that are slower and less visible than going viral.
How, then, can young people translate online activism into votes? Ultimately, power is exercised at the registration desk and polling station.
Yet IEBC data shows that the enhanced 30-day registration drive fell short, with young people accounting for just 32.65 per cent of new registrations. This may reflect frustrations with electoral politics, including perceptions that young people’s votes are courted at rallies, but their participation in governance is limited.
For decades, campaigns have relied on handouts, reinforcing patronage and treating citizens as clients. Participatory democracy requires meaningful public involvement, stronger county forums and a properly resourced National Youth Council.
Young Kenyans need credible institutions, accountable government and a trustworthy electoral process. Accountability for alleged abductions and disappearances of protesters in 2024 and 2025 is essential to rebuilding that trust and realising the democratic promise of the 2010 Constitution.
