Youth Political Movements, Governance, and Democracy in Kenya

Since pre-independence days, the young people’s agency has played a significant role, shaping Kenya’s political landscape, reframing political and governance discourses, and contributing to the deepening and expansion of the democratic governance spaces in the country. Post-independence efforts to integrate the youth political movements into the social, economic, and political fabric of the country have achieved limited results, with young people’s agency largely remaining excluded, neglected, relegated, and marginalized. Through a historical analysis of the young people’s effective political agency in three main eras, this article generates insights into contemporary understandings and impacts of youth movements on democracy and governance in Kenya. Political process theory sheds light on how the youth movements have capitalized on the existing political opportunities and sought to expand and create new ones to deepen Kenya’s independence, stability, and democracy. The effective organisation and mobilisation of young people’s agency as active co-creators of the social, economic, and political spaces in Kenya continues to have a meaningful impact in the constitutional institutionalization, governance, and democracy in Kenya.