The Youth Conneckt Africa Summit hosted over 60,000 delegates and youth from all over Africa. However, amidst its noble objectives, a critical observation has emerged. There’s a huge discrepancy between the summit’s theme of youth involvement and the representation of non-youth members in steering the national agenda in Kenya.
The Summit, a pivotal gathering aimed at empowering and engaging the youth, commenced in Kenya on the 8th of this month and is set to end on the 13th. This year’s theme, “Youth Innovating a Borderless African Renaissance”, is meant to create a platform for dialogue, innovation, and collaboration among youth in Africa.
Kenya’s Jamuhuri Day is upcoming, and after 60 years, it’s quite sad that there is a regression in youth participation in political matters. Back in the day, university students and youth leaders like Tom Mboya, J.M. Kariuki, and James Orengo were on the front lines of defending the country’s democracy.
Fast forward to a time best described as youth reluctance to participate in national politics and policy, evident by the lack of headlines on issues discussed in the summit at any of the media houses in Kenya.
“Most youth do not actively engage in public participation forums, and when they do, it’s to wait for the handouts, said Kimone Kimone, Director at the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI). He blames this resistance of youth on the economic stains, which force young people to live only in pursuit of money rather than power and their own interests.
According to a report by the Public Procurement Regularity Authority (PPRA), most county and national government agencies do not reserve 30 percent of state procurement for minority groups in Kenya, youth being among them.
With this disconnect, therefore, young people are sceptical of joining political parties, which form the basis for elections and are the breeding ground for individuals who aspire to be in national politics.
Critics also state that while youth are being encouraged to collaborate among themselves, it is more expensive to travel within Africa than it is to go to Dubai.
So how are young people in Africa supposed to grow, exchange ideas, and execute with such constraints? Similar to this is also the influence of the western powers on our leaders’ decisions, which hinders the suggested dream of a borderless Africa.
As it is, Africa has been subdivided into anglophone and francophone groups as colonized by Britain and France, respectively. This in itself is a huge impediment to youth’s participation in developing policing and forming federations for the continent.
When all is said and done, however, the mantle rests on us young people to take back our power. We already know of the government’s negligence in addressing our concerns, as well as their strategy to only use young people and mobilize tools.
It is imperative, therefore, that young people start forming their own political parties and lobby groups. The older generation does not by any means understand the sentiments, challenges, or aspirations of young people; thus, it cannot be left up to them to decide.
Given that we form 70% of Africa’s continent, we shouldn’t be limited by our physical borders. Technology is proving to be an asset, and with the emergence of young people getting into tech to innovate and solve problems, there’s unlimited potential.
