Kenya, long hailed as a stable democracy in East Africa, is facing a growing challenge in addressing the needs and concerns of its youth. An estimated 78% of Kenya’s population is aged below 35 years, with a median age of 19 years. This demographic structure can be either a valuable dividend or a risk to development.
Kenyan youth represent a significant portion of the population, posing both opportunities and challenges.
Youth Unemployment: An Economic and Social Challenge
One of the major downsides of the ‘youth bulge’ has been youth unemployment, which is both an economic and social challenge. According to the Kenya Youth Survey 2016, unemployment is the top concern for the youth at 63%. About 1 in 2 university graduates are out of full-time employment; youth aged between 18 and 25 are twice more likely to be unemployed; and unemployment among rural women aged 18 to 35 is about 62%.
The growing youth unemployment levels, majorly attributed to youth’s economic exclusion, has serious implications on their inability to gain financial autonomy which affects their dignity and ability to meet their everyday needs. Statistics by the World Bank record that the average household income could increase if more good quality jobs are made available for the 1 million youth joining the labor force annually.
COVID-19 led to many people losing their jobs as many companies were forced to either shut down or cut back their operations. Whilst the pandemic has affected people across all demographics, the youth were disproportionately at greater economic risk. The International Labor Organization found that more than one in six young people lost their jobs since the beginning of the global health crisis. This worsened the existing vulnerabilities of youth in relation to work by disrupting their plans for education and training, delaying their transition to the job market.
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Political Disengagement and Protests
Young people have historically been at the forefront of change-defending civil rights, showing up to vote, and actively shaping the world they want to live in. Yet in recent decades, youth engagement in formal politics has been experiencing a steady decline, with young people voting less, rejecting political party membership, and holding more radical or extremist views.
Young people are increasingly indifferent to engaging with formal politics at a time when their participation, though always necessary, is needed more than ever. The relationship between young people and institutions is broken at both ends. Decision-making spaces systematically exclude young people. The Global Youth Participation Index shows how this is a worldwide problem that can take place in tandem with positive socioeconomic progress.
Across Africa, young people are more disengaged than their older peers in almost every political activity, besides protesting. Globally, youth are the driving force in a new era of protests and civic movements. Informal, youth-led activism is not only motivating increased participation-it is forcing the political agenda to contend with the demands of local communities.
On 25 June 2025 - a year after deadly protests swept across Kenya - thousands of youth took to the streets to signal their continued discontent with the authorities. Sixteen people were killed, primarily by police bullets. The protests took place in 27 of Kenya’s 47 counties. The scale of the demonstrations signalled the yawning chasm that has developed between Kenya’s youth and President William Ruto’s administration.
Beyond commemorating last year’s protests, which centred on opposition to proposed tax rises, the leaderless protest movement has presented a long list of grievances. In addition to sustained high taxes, they include the high cost of living, mass youth unemployment, and the general lack of accountability in a country where the political class is often accused of misusing government funds.
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Among the protesters’ multiple frustrations, anger has crystallised over widespread reporting of police brutality. After last June’s protest wave, during which 60 people were killed, the police kept up their campaign of repression. Dozens of people suspected of organising the protests, often seemingly based on scant evidence, were reported missing. A case that drew particular anger concerned schoolteacher Albert Ojwang, whom police arrested on 7 June 2025 in Kisumu after accusing him of defaming the deputy head of police. Ojwang was found dead in a police cell in Nairobi. During protests over that killing, a policeman was caught on camera shooting and seriously injuring a street vendor, multiplying the outrage.
Youth-led protests in Kenya highlight the demand for government accountability and reform.
It is clear anger continues to simmer. President Ruto’s government should now turn to addressing youth discontent. Denouncing police brutality, restraining security forces from abusive conduct, and holding abusers accountable would be a good start. New efforts to spur economic growth in a country where one million youth enter the job market annually are also needed.
The Digital Divide
The pandemic unlocked a myriad of opportunities in the digital space for young Kenyans who now depend on technology for their livelihoods. Most young people have benefitted in areas of logistics, e-commerce, farming and the creative sector. The digital space in Kenya has been a source of opportunities for the youth, but it also comes with its own set of challenges; including lack of access to digital devices and internet connectivity, lack of digital skills, cyber security threats, online harassment and cyberbullying, lack of trust in online transactions and the digital divide.
The Kenya Economic Update: “Securing Future Growth,” highlights that Kenya faces a significant digital divide, with only 44% of the urban population having access to the internet compared to 17% in rural areas. Moreover, widespread gaps in basic digital skills still limit wider usage and application of digital tools, and services and gaps in advanced digital skills limit business development.
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The government ought to address the gender digital divide by ensuring that both young women and men have unrestricted access to the internet. More attention should be given to young women in marginalized areas if we are to reap the benefits of the digital economy. This will take public investment and progressive policy measures to encourage private sector investment and services innovation to serve these hard-to-reach consumers.
On the other hand, youth serving organizations can help in bridging the digital gap by providing access to digital technologies and training on how to use them.
Kenya has seen its Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector grow an average of 10.8% annually since 2016, becoming a significant source of economic development and job creation with spillover effects in almost every sector of the economy. In order to accelerate the ICT sector for a dynamic and inclusive digital economy, there is a need to build strong digital foundations which will be critical to the country’s long-term success in harnessing the potential of the digital economy, while ensuring that no one is left behind.
Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) Kenya equips youth with digital skills training to bridge the digital divide.
Aspirations and Expectations of Youth in Urban Slums
In Nairobi, 60 - 70% of the population live in slums or slum-like conditions, and about half of the residents are aged below 25. As “informal” or “squatter” settlements, these slums are often marginalized by the local and national governments. Consequently, slum dwellers have limited access to formal health, education and other social services, and live in environments characterized by poor housing, sanitation and infrastructure, high unemployment rates, and high rates of violence.
Despite these challenging conditions, cheap housing and close proximity to urban amenities continue to attract large number of in-migrants leading to the rapid growth of slum settlements, which, on average, house about 750 people per hectare.
Youth may maintain high aspirations and strive towards achieving them despite harsh realities. In the context of high nationally-fueled educational aspirations, youth in urban slums may struggle to meet educational aspirations despite financial constraints. Unfortunately, some young people may maintain high aspirations but turn to delinquency to fulfill them or to deal with the strain of disjunction.
Young people may also maintain high aspirations and express strong desire to move out of the slums, which they may view as limiting their chances for success. Involvement in religious youth groups is associated with higher scores on purpose, a measure that takes into account aspirations and efforts to achieve them.
When faced with significant barriers - real or perceived - youth may adjust their aspirations to the reality of constraints within their environment. Living in deprived neighborhoods had a leveling effect on young people’s occupational and educational aspirations, suggesting youth awareness of the opportunity structures available to them. A wide discrepancy between one’s aspirations and expectations can impede education and skill acquisition as well as decrease motivation to attain these aspirations.
Youth may value different goals based on their gender and have different responses to a disjunction between their aspirations and expectations. For example, females may adjust their expectations downward once they marry or have children, and may thus experience less disjunction than their male counterparts. Similarly, crime rates are typically higher among males compared to females, also suggesting differential responses to disjunction.
Table 1: Concerns, Aspirations, and Expectations by Age Group
| Measure | Age Group | Percentage Reporting High Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Concerns | 12-17 years | Data not provided |
| 18-22 years | Data not provided | |
| Aspirations | 12-17 years | Data not provided |
| 18-22 years | Data not provided | |
| Expectations | 12-17 years | Data not provided |
| 18-22 years | Data not provided |
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