Kenya's Youth Can Be Part of the Solution
The high percentage of youth in most developing societies makes them a critical mass to mobilise for better or for worse. By the United Nations definition, youth are those belonging to the age group of 15 to 24 years but member states definitions vary, going up to 35 years.
Published on 09 December 2010 in
ISS Today
By
Nyambura Githaiga, Researcher, African Conflict Prevention Programme, ISS Nairobi
The high percentage of youth in most developing societies makes them a critical mass to mobilise for better or for worse. By the United Nations definition, youth are those belonging to the age group of 15 to 24 years but member states definitions vary, going up to 35 years.
In Kenya, the National Youth Policy pushes the age up to 30 years. In reality, there is no limitation on age when it comes to the disenfranchisement of young people in today’s societies in the face of challenges such as systematic marginalization, generational poverty, lack of access to higher education, unemployment, crime, profiteering and consequently exclusion from the functions of national leadership and governance.
There are two worrying trends related to youth in Kenya, of which the cause and effect elements ultimately feed off each other. The first of these is the exclusion of youth, especially in the national sphere of leadership and governance, and the second is the involvement of youth in crime and conflict.
What is worrying about the first trend that excludes youth from leadership and governance, is that their role is then relegated to being party to the problem but not party to the solution. Take the example of the post election violence in Kenya in 2007/8. Just viewing media clips of the violence, the role of the youth in the mayhem and destruction was quite evident. Fast-forward to media clips of the peace talks that followed and the stark contrast in the age of those involved, illustrates the exclusion of youth in brokering for peace.
One can argue that youth were just used as proxies for the violence and the real culprits were not youth. However, the fact remains, they were involved in the conflict. Their consequent exclusion from the negotiating table for peace undermines their capacity for conflict resolution, leadership and governance.
With over 70% of Kenya’s population in the category of youth, more should be done practically to ensure adequate representation in the national political space and even in high political office.
For the record, Kenya’s history recognises the capacity of youth in national leadership. Some of Kenya’s leaders were mere youth when they assumed national leadership positions. The current President, Mwai Kibaki, was 32 years old when elected as a Member of Parliament representing a Nairobi constituency. In another 3 years, he became the Minister for Commerce and Industry.
Kalonzo Musyoka, the current Vice President, was the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the age of 30. Perhaps at the dawn of a new Republic, there was a larger pool of youth vying for leadership, whereas now, those same youth are still dominating the political space.
Apart from history, there is now hue and cry by the Kenyan government about a program by the United States Government entitled ‘Yes Youth Can’ launched on December 16, 2009. Funds allocated to this project, with a focus on constitutional implementation and leadership, are to the tune of $45 million with over $20 million allegedly disbursed to date. The Kenyan government feels the US government is out of line in their approach with this programme and now accuses the US of intending to use this youth forum to destabilise the government.
Without going into the ethics of this initiative, what stands out is the recognition that the youth are a critical mass and as such, the Kenyan government, who best understands the context of the Kenyan youth, should be the first to launch initiatives to draw the youth into more productive engagement in nation building.
The second worrying trend is the involvement of youth in crime and conflict. Relating this to the economic and political disenfranchisement of youth by chronic unemployment, generational poverty and exclusion from leadership and governance, youth are now finding leadership opportunities and economic benefits through crime and conflict.
Most relevant to conflict prevention is the issue of illegal gangs that have orchestrated crime and participated in violent conflict. Recently, the Kenyan Government named and issued a ban on 33 illegal groups, which have been in operation with activities ranging from extortion to extra judicial killings. These groups are comprised of youth, though it has been suggested that these groups may enjoy the financial and political backing of individuals not necessarily classified as youth.
Through the Prevention of Organised Crime Act of 2010, anyone found to belong to any of these groups may face a 14-year jail term and/or a fine of up to 1 million Kenya shillings (approximately US $12,500). These groups have operated with a level of impunity partly due to structural weaknesses in Kenya’s security and judicial apparatus and also partly due to the culture of fear propagated by the groups such that witnesses fear retribution from testimony. To curb this, the Act prescribes a jail term of up to 10 years and a fine of up to 500,000 Kenya shillings for obstruction of justice.
With an over 40% unemployment rate in the country, there is no shortage of recruits for these groups. Often, the income generating activities of these groups involve charging illegal fees to public transport operators, small businesses and homeowners. These fees also serve as protection fees and allows one the freedom to conduct business and live securely, giving the groups status as power brokers in the community. They have also begun a debt collection service that charges a fee of 5,000 Kenya shillings (approximately $62.5).
Through this parallel system, youth now have access to positions of power both politically and economically, though these alternative sources of power are not necessarily in the best interests of progressive national development. There is also complicity in society that inadvertently allows the existence of these groups and this is seen in parents who turn a blind eye to the misdeeds of their youth to law enforcers who succumb to corruption.
The organised nature of these groups has turned them into a formidable force that is contrary to established political and economic institutions. What makes this organised crime particularly pervasive is that youth are vulnerable to recruitment as a means to economic survival and as such the groups have mushroomed around the country. Despite the apparent lucrative aspects for youth through these groups, the unintended consequences include a continued systematic exclusion of youth from mainstream corridors of power and economics. This will ultimately have dire consequences for sustainable peace and future conflict prevention in Kenya.
Harnessing the potential of youth for constructive national development is essential both in times of peace and in times of conflict. Building their capacity for leadership and sound decision-making must be undertaken deliberately to ensure that they are positively engaged in all spheres of society. Though widely debated, affirmative action serves to redress historic accounts of exclusion and actualise adequate representation. In addressing youth in crime and conflict, resolving the issue of youth exclusion must go beyond banning illegal groups to addressing the socio-economic context that makes illegal groups a viable alternative to social, economic and political empowerment.
There needs to be a concerted effort to implement policies that address the root problems that have led to the exclusion of youth from leadership and their involvement in crime and conflict.
The good news is there is light at the end of the tunnel. Kenya’s new constitution promises to create a position for youth representation at the county level. Also laudable are the achievements of the current government in creating a Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, a Youth Enterprise Fund with annual budget running into billions and development initiatives such as Kazi kwa Vijana (a Swahili phrase that roughly translates to ‘Employment for Youth’). It is at this pace and level that we must continue to invest in youth to ensure a brighter future.
