KANYI GIOKO: The youth deserve more than promises — they deserve a real shot

Kanyi Gioko (Ph.D.),  a Career Educationist, Researcher, Digital Content and Curriculum Developer and comments on Topical issues./HANDOUT

As another election season approaches, the air is once again thick with political drama. In Kenya’s all-too-familiar script, political leaders exchange barbs with theatrical flair, drowning out the urgent conversations we should be having.

While the noise builds, real issues that matter to everyday Kenyans get lost in the shuffle. It’s an endless cycle, one that stifles progress and squanders potential.

Amidst the sabre rattling and grandstanding of tribal tin gods and political warlords, one such issue, glaring and persistent, continues to be brushed aside: the future of our youth.

According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), youth aged 18 to 34 make up nearly 29 per cent of our population, over 13 million young Kenyans. And when you consider that more than 80 per cent of the population is under 35, it’s clear we are a nation built on youth.

Yet this energetic, ambitious, and capable demographic remains underutilised, underestimated, and under-supported. To put it plainly: we are neglecting the very group that holds the keys to our national future.

Picture this: a farmer with 100 cattle deciding to feed only 20. The rest, the majority, are ignored, left to fend for themselves. It’s absurd, even dangerous. But it’s exactly what we’re doing to our youth.

They are the foundation of our economy and the heartbeat of our cultural and social systems. Yet instead of offering them seats at the table, we’ve kept them at the margins, asking them to hustle, to innovate, to survive in a system that offers very little in return.

They are drowned in a constant sloganeering campaign pegged on motivational speak.

"Be your boss." "Create your opportunities." But here’s the hard truth: the economic landscape isn’t designed for them to succeed. Not yet.

The blatant political manipulation of these segments of the population is unwarranted and a tricky powder keg that is bound to explode at any time.

For instance, let’s look at the procurement system in this country, the gateway to economic inclusion in both government and institutional work.

From small contracts like supplying milk to schools to large-scale logistics for famine relief, access is gatekept by a network of political elites and their allies.

Tenders worth just a few thousand dollars are handed to well-connected players. As you go higher up, you find cartels in control of transport, construction, pharmaceuticals, energy, and oil.

And so, we ask again: where are the 120,000 graduates we produce every year supposed to go? What space have we created for them in the economy?

It doesn't have to be this way.

Imagine a different Kenya, one that organises youth into cooperatives and provides start-up capital, security, and access to public procurement opportunities.

Picture a system where young entrepreneurs are mentored, supported, and included in national development.

These are not handouts, they are smart, strategic investments. Many of these young people come from families that have made huge sacrifices for their education. Why should their futures be met with closed doors?

To the private sector, multinational companies, and government agencies: the call is simple. Involve the youth. Assign them contracts.

Trust them with logistics. Offer them distribution roles under affirmative action frameworks. Let the provincial administrations channel local development through youth-led enterprises. It’s time we stop talking about empowering the youth and start doing it.

We must also recognise a deeper truth: no nation thrives when 80 per cent of its population is on the sidelines. Development is not an abstract goal, it's a lived experience, shaped by how inclusive we choose to be. Progress demands that every Kenyan, all 52 million of us, see themselves in the journey forward.

This is not just a youth agenda, it’s a national survival plan. We need an "all hands on deck" approach. Let's bring everyone to the table. Let’s build together, as a family, united in purpose and vision.

By meaningfully engaging our youth, we do more than empower individuals. We anchor the future. We set Kenya on a path of true, inclusive, sustainable growth.

Let us not allow talent to waste away in silence. Let us not confuse frustration with apathy. Kenya’s youth are ready. The question is: are we?

God bless you. God bless Kenya.

The writer, Kanyi Gioko (Ph.D.), is a Career Educationist, Researcher, Digital Content and Curriculum Developer and comments on Topical issues.