More than 120 adolescent girls and young women from across Kenya are calling for greater inclusion in decisions affecting their lives and communities as the country prepares for the 2027 General Election.
The call was made during Polycom Girls’ sixth Annual Girls Assembly in Nairobi, where participants discussed leadership, political participation, gender-based violence, digital safety, climate justice, economic rights, peace and security.
For adolescent girls who are not yet eligible to vote, participants said meaningful participation also means having their views heard on issues affecting their lives and communities.
Kenya’s Constitution provides for voting by adult citizens, while the Children Act provides that children have a right to express their views on matters affecting them and have those views heard and given due weight according to their age and maturity.
It was in this context that Polycom Girls Founder and Executive Director Jane Anyango said young people should be included.
“Young people cannot be discussed in their absence,” Anyango said, adding that they should be encouraged to participate in governance and political processes.
Aphline Yogo, Programs Officer at Polycom Girls, echoed her sentiments, saying girls should also have an opportunity to put forward their own ideas.
“Girls are pitching their ideas and we want them to be realized,” Yogo said.
According to Florence Syevuo, Executive Director of the SDGs Kenya Forum, development discussions should take into account the experiences of girls and young women.
“SDGs embody the lived realities of the girls,” Syevuo said, citing safe environments, menstrual health and hygiene and technology-facilitated gender-based violence among the issues affecting girls.
“We cannot do development from a place of what we know. We must include the girls as we seek answers to their problems,” she said.
The Assembly also examined what inclusive leadership should look like, with Netherlands Ambassador to Kenya and Permanent Representative to UNEP and UN-Habitat, Henk Jan Bakker, calling for leaders to listen to different perspectives.
“A good leader is open to other opinions and other voices,” Bakker said.
He urged leaders to create space for differing views rather than surrounding themselves with people who simply agree with them.