The Role of the Youth in Building a More Democratic Kenya

Post date: Thu, Jul 5, 2012
Category: General
By: IEA Kenya,

Democracy is oftentimes loosely defined as a rule by the majority, where the majority has their say and way. That should mean that all citizens of a democratic country should have their say in everything that affects their lives: politically, socially and economically.

In practice however, democracy is commonly viewed as simply the electoral process. This is misguided since it limits democracy to the ballot process alone and clearly explains why there is immense pressure that surrounds the electoral process. What kind of democracy is Kenya, if it serves the interests of the powerful minority while ignoring the wisdom of the majority?

Kenya continues to struggle from the effects of bad governance, impunity, weak public institutions, inequality and historical injustices despite the record show up at the ballot box. This thus begs the question, Is Kenya really a democracy?

It is a no brainer that the youth aged between 18 and 35 are the majority and comprise about 36% of the Kenyan population, but rarely do they have their say in the state of affairs in this country. Despite being the majority, they have always been marginalized and relegated to the backburners yet this is a dynamic lot that is full of energy which can be harnessed to build a more democratic country.

A discussion of the youth and democracy is not complete without mentioning the role of the youth in the 2007/2008 Post-Election Violence, and as we approach the forthcoming elections, the youth need to soberly reflect on their role and how they can redeem their mottled image.

The main actors in that violence that saw Kenya lose its sanity and come to a standstill were the youth, who exerted all their energy to fight other people’s political battles.

We the youth should NEVER AGAIN allow ourselves to be used as stooges and pawns to fight other people’s battles because that will neither bring about employment nor redeem us from the yoke of poverty.

The economy we massively destroyed in our mindless orgy is yet to find its equilibrium. Even as we go into another election, we still have innocent men, women and children nursing physical and emotional wounds. The hard reality is that sustained double-digit growth rates are needed for Kenya to meet its goal of becoming a middle income country by the year 2030, especially given the hard economic times we are currently facing.

Although the post election violence of 2007 may have caused untold pain among Kenyans, it also generated an impetus for constitutional and institutional reforms for the benefit of all Kenyans and in particular the youth.

Democracy and development can only move forward on a positive trajectory if we embrace transparency in the electoral process. We have been struggling to deepen democratic reforms in Kenya, and I challenge all the Kenyan youth to stand up for democracy and transparency in the governance of this country.

It is the time the youth are jolted into action and re-oriented towards constructive change, because it is them who sustain the present and create the future. We must stop waiting for power to be handed to us on a silver platter. We have to rise up and demand for change in a positive way. Money or the lack of it should never be an excuse.

The youth in Kenya should also change the man-eat-man system which keeps them perpetually in bondage. This will enable individual youths to situate themselves in the quandary and determine where they belong in the debate. Are they agents for positive change or for the continuation of the present moribund neo-colonial system? It is only through such engagement that the propensity towards violence after elections will reduce.

At the end of the day however, the real solutions must come collectively from us, as progressive and democratic young minded Kenyans. I am confident that within our collective memory, we have this huge repository of knowledge, know-how, ideas that if sifted through, can assist us in identifying the necessary building blocks to the kind of a new Kenya most of us have been visioning for quite some time.

A courageous and steadfast belief in the ability of the youth to change today’s world for tomorrow’s brighter future is all that is required. In essence, it is up to the youth of today to reclaim the country from doomsday analysts and naysayers. It is up to us to reclaim the glory of our beautiful country or betray the promise of our future generations.

As a Kenyan youth, I am envisioning a new Kenya that respects our democratic constitution; a new Kenya that carries out far reaching economic, social, cultural and political reforms; a new Kenya that recognizes and works for the equality of women and men; a new Kenya that stresses the importance of the country’s youth; a new Kenya that redresses the decades old injustices; a new Kenya that respects and upholds human rights of all people including the poor and marginalized and above all, a new Kenya that respects and upholds democracy.

Read the article as it appeared in the Star Newspaper (13th April 2012)

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