HomeThe presidential debate will feature three of the four presidential debates if Azimio la Umoja One Kenya party leader makes good on his threat to skip the event. Some of the people who will be listening keenly will be the youth of Kenya. These are persons aged 18-35 years and below.
Kenya, much like other African countries, boasts of a majority young population. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics census conducted in 2019, 75% of the population is under 35 years. That percentage represents 35 million. In this demography, the young people who can vote represent 29% of the total enumerated population according to the 2019 census.
The Kenyan youth (18-34 years) constitute 13,777,600 (29.0 per cent) in 2019 compared to 11, 809,518 (28.7 per cent) in 2009 according to census data published by the KNBS. This makes them a very important bloc in deciding the future of Kenya.
According to Mercy Mutana the chair of the Kenyan chapter of the Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network (CYPAN), the debate is important because the youth want to know what policies the candidates have and how they affect the Kenyan youth.
She emphasized on peace and clarity. “Youths want peaceful transition and better governance. About the debate, that they can show up and share their agenda in clarity,” wrote Mutana.
The Kenyan economy has been a cause for concern among many Kenyans and particularly among the Kenyan youth. An ailing economy means that they can’t easily find jobs and have disposable income to live a quality life. According to the Star, out of every ten unemployed youth, seven are young people.
Currently, the rate of unemployment in Kenya stands at 13.8% according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). Mercy says that the youth would like to see how the candidates will articulate issues of economic recovery.
“I expect to hear more clarity on the different manifestos and solutions towards economic recovery. Moreover, more insight on the priority issues by both candidates and what to expect in their first 100 days,” says Mutana.
Deogratius Magero the Technical Advisor on Youth Economic Empowerment at Plan International wants to hear about practical ways of building jobs for young people.
“I want to know how government will collaborate with the private sector and non-state actors to create jobs. Additionally we want to know how they will support these stakeholders to facilitate the creation of jobs. They need to spur innovations, skill development and the ultimate linkages. Secondly I want to hear how women, girls and boys will get opportunities in the labour market. The incoming government should show us how they will empower youth led initiatives to create more employment opportunities,” said Magero.
