A surge in youth political engagement could redefine Kenya’s next election, according to Siasa Place Executive Director Nerima Wako-Ojiwa.
Speaking on Wednesday during a Radio Generation interview, she warned that millions of previously inactive voters may participate, potentially shifting outcomes.
However, she cautioned that distrust in electoral systems and political parties continues to discourage many young people from voting.
“There's an energy. They want to be counted. They want to be heard,” she said, describing what she sees as a turning point in youth engagement.
Her remarks come amid longstanding concerns about voter apathy, particularly among younger Kenyans.
In the last general election, millions of registered voters did not cast their ballots, a trend that has raised questions about the strength of democratic participation.
“We’re definitely going to have a cluster of people who normally don’t engage in voting,” she said.
Wako-Ojiwa suggested that this emerging group of voters, many of whom previously stayed away from the polls, could become a critical “swing” bloc.
“There’s going to be this block that amorphous, that they can’t quite figure out, that will determine quite a bit,” she said.
She noted that the disengagement seen in previous elections was not limited to young people alone, but included a mix of voters, with a significant proportion being millennials who had voter cards but chose not to participate.
The reasons for this, she explained, are rooted in frustration and disillusionment with political leadership and processes.
“You vote for someone and you’re like, what difference did it make?” she said, adding that many feel leaders fail to deliver on promises once elected.
Another key factor is the lack of relatable candidates. “They don’t really see themselves in the candidates that are front end,” she said, pointing to internal party processes that often favour money and influence over merit.
“So you will have all sorts of criminals at that level, and then you’re telling guys, which one is the better one.”
This, she argued, creates a sense of hopelessness among voters who feel excluded from meaningful political participation.
Beyond representation, Wako-Ojiwa highlighted a deeper issue, declining trust in electoral systems.
“There’s this election authoritarianism where you vote but your vote doesn’t count,” she said.
She warned that doubts about the independence of electoral bodies and the integrity of results discourage participation.
“Why feed into a system where I can clearly see the game is rigged against me?”
This scepticism is not unique to Kenya, she added, noting a broader global trend of declining confidence in democratic systems.
“In a nutshell, you have been fed that your vote counts but in most chances it doesn’t,” she said.
Despite these concerns, Siasa Place Executive Director believes Kenya is at a decisive moment.
“We are literally at the edge of a cliff. Kenya is deciding, are we going to jump or take a step back?”
She warned that failure to restore trust in the electoral process could have serious consequences, particularly given the country’s youthful population.
“If this election shows any semblance of rigging, forget calling Kenya a democratic or a republic,” she said.
She pointed out that the legitimacy of leadership is already affected when large numbers of registered voters abstain.
“The winning number was below the number of people who didn’t participate,” she noted, describing the implications for governance.
To rebuild trust, Wako-Ojiwa called for reforms within the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, particularly around transparency and public engagement.
“They have to roll them in as partners,” she said, referring to youth-led civic initiatives and voter education efforts.
She also emphasised the importance of cleaning voter registers, improving audits and opening up the electoral process to greater public scrutiny.
“This is how you can be accredited to do that, that thing of keeping it vague and closed,” she said, warning against lack of transparency.