Report: Kenyan youth not interested in political parties

The majority of young people are not affiliated with any political party; a new report says.

This suggests a lack of interest among young people in joining political parties as a means of democratic

representation or participation.

The survey, released by grassroots social movement organisation, Inuka Kenya ni Sisi, and the Civic Voice Initiative, sampled a total of 1,535 respondents, aged between 18 and 35 years, from Mombasa (519), Kisumu (507) and Nairobi (509) between March and May 2024.

According to the survey, 981 out of the 1535 young people surveyed are not affiliated with any political party.

“When broken down by age groups, the 18-25 age bracket shows the highest number of individuals uninterested in political party involvement,” the report said.

“During the data collection phase, the leading political parties made logistical arrangements to mobilise for party nominations. We asked respondents if they would engage in these activities. Most of the young people said that they would not. However, they also mentioned that there was a scheme to register them without their consent. Those who had voted before mentioned that during the last election, they found their details listed as members of different political parties, which caused security issues for some in hotspot regions.”

Another reason the young people mentioned for their unwillingness to join political parties is that they believe these parties mainly serve the interests of a few individuals seeking political seats. For that reason, parties are only active during elections, with their branch offices usually closed at other times.

“In Mombasa’s Jomvu Sub-County, young people reported visiting party offices to seek support in securing Kazi Mtaani jobs but found the offices closed most of the time,” said the report.

Abdul Noormohamed, the director of the Civic Voice Initiative, said the project acknowledged the prevalent issue of low youth engagement in civic and political affairs, a trend observed across Africa.

“Historical instances of heightened youth involvement, such as the protests in Sudan leading to the removal of Omar Bashir, the #EndSARS demonstrations in Nigeria, and the #FeesMustFall movement in South Africa, have been sporadic and short-lived,” he said.

Despite their impact, Noormohamed said these events did not translate into sustained youth participation during subsequent electoral processes in their respective countries. However, June’s protests in Kenya marked a watershed moment with unprecedented youth mobilisation, sparked by concerns over the economic implications of the Finance Bill 2024.

“The critical question now is whether this recent surge in participation will endure beyond 2027, akin to patterns observed elsewhere. Our findings underscore the sentiments of young people regarding civic engagement and underscore the urgent need to foster sustained involvement. Given that the youth demographic constitutes a significant portion of the population, their limited participation poses profound implications for Kenya’s democratic future,” he said.

For the youth who are members of political parties, the survey showed that at least 64.4 per cent feel that the entities do not provide adequate support or encouragement for their participation in civic and political discussions.

Additionally, 19 per cent reported rare facilitation, 9.3 per cent reported frequent facilitation, and only 7.3 per cent indicated very frequent facilitation.

The survey further sought to know what other activities young people engage in, apart from voting during elections. A majority (78.2 per cent) indicated they did not participate in any other activity besides voting, while 21.8 per cent stated that they engaged in other political activities.

Some of the young people indicated that they took part in maandamano (protests). Others stated that they have been involved in voter mobilisation. Others said that politics offers employment opportunities for them as agents and security personnel for the leaders vying for politics. Some young people stated that they made money by printing and running social media campaigns for those seeking political offices.

The report further shows that the youngest people are economically disempowered and when invited to public civic forums, they ask if they would be given some money.

“In all three counties, young people said they are motivated by money to attend and participate in civic and political activities,” the report reads.

“When invited to a meeting, the first question they ask is, “kuna kakitu?” which directly translates to “Is there something for us?” referring to some form of payment or transport reimbursement.”

“This means that the involvement of young people is often driven by financial incentives rather than having clear objectives,” the report reads.