Kenya is a very youthful country. The median age is estimated at 19 years, and about 80 percent of Kenya’s population is below 35 years. To a very large extent, Kenya’s youth - defined as individuals between the ages of 18 and 35 (CoK - 2010) — will determine the shape of the country’s future. This number therefore cannot be overlooked in any development or political processes of the Republic. Young people have become perpetrators or victims of security operations as they search for purpose, meaning and status in their lives.
The common narrative has been that the government and society fail to offer formidable opportunities for the youth to translate their energy and meaning into positive actions. Violent extremist groups and politicians therefore often fill the void and offer a disillusioned, frustrated and disenfranchised youth false hope and many times substitute it with violence.
Elections are a major component of leadership and governance. In the wake of the 2017 General Election, CGW ran the County Election Dialogue Series geared towards ensuring free, fair, credible, accountable and peaceful General Elections. Through the County Multi-stakeholder Election Dialogues, CGW engaged with the primary election stakeholders in about 8 out of 13 Counties that were mapped out as possible hotspots by the IEBC, NCIC and the CGW County Election Preparedness Assessment reports. The aim was to understand and address issues and concerns that could potentially lead to electoral-related violence.
Through this process, County Governance Watch was able to make presentations and recommendation to the Dialogue Reference Group, Multi-Sectoral Forum, convened by the members of IRCK (Inter Religious Council of Kenya) in partnership with like-minded organizations to provide a safe space for non-state actors to discuss and build consensus on a strategy for engagement in securing the 2017 General Election.
Through this engagement, CGW was part of the recommendations of specific actions made to the Executive, Parliament, Judiciary, media, electoral governance institutions and the general public with the view to fast-tracking and safeguarding the electoral process so as to ensure the August 2017 elections are peaceful, free, fair and credible.
Through the County Peace and Security programme, CGW has been running a youth programme on Countering Violent Extremism and anti-radicalization among the youth in institutions of higher learning and those in county youth networks. This process was instrumental in providing a platform for the youth to make their voice count in the electoral process to not only ensure their representation, but also participation in this process. Part of this included the place of the youth in ensuring a peaceful election, being that the youth are many times the targets of radicalisation of any nature, especially political radicalisation that leads to electoral-related violence. Politicians many times take advantage of the youth who become disenfranchised and disappointed due to false promises and unmet expectations from the political class.
