Harnessing the youth for good governance

Today’s youth are leveraging data analytics, online petitions, certified youth groups, and monitoring tools to track government commitments and address governance gaps in real time.

Armed with smartphones, social media, and an unyielding sense of urgency, they possess the technological structures that, if exploited properly, will yield ideas that are transparent and inclusive. This global youth awakening is not a fleeting moment; it represents a structural shift in how governance, democracy, and development are understood in the 21st century.

Recognising the significance of youth engagement, President William Ruto sought the African Union (AU) support in conducting an objective, Targeted Review on Youth Issues under the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

The APRM is AU’s specialised agency that promotes good governance through governance assessments and peer reviews at the level of Heads of State and government. The Targeted Review process, therefore, aims to: Understand the realities, grievances, and aspirations of the Kenyan youth to generate actionable governance and policy responses.

The Kenyan Youth Targeted Review is designed to be participatory and inclusive, with the youth being the core stakeholder group. Through consultations with State and non-state actors, county-level engagements among others, the review aims at covering the diversity of youth experiences.

An APRM special data-collection toolkit has been developed and stakeholder-validated to ensure voices from rural communities, informal settlements, persons with disabilities, and other marginalised groups are meaningfully included.

This approach aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which envisions the youth not as passive beneficiaries of development, but as drivers of national transformation. The review also identifies opportunities to regulate digital platforms for positive governance outcomes while preserving youth innovation in advocacy and civic engagement.

Beyond assessment, the review is intended to be transformative for the youth and give them a structured platform to elevate their ideas, innovations, and demands into national decision-making spaces, highlighting contributions in climate resilience, social entrepreneurship, and community security.

For government institutions, the review offers evidence-based insights to refine youth policies, strengthen coordination, and address gaps or duplication in existing programs, while for development partners, it guides targeted investments where they can have the greatest impact, ensuring youth-driven governance activism translates into measurable outcomes.

The final report will be validated by stakeholders before submission to the Government of Kenya and eventually presented at the AU Summit for consideration and adoption.

Recommendations therein will inform policy reform, programme design, and governance frameworks, which may include the establishment of youth-governance innovation hubs, county-level youth observatories, digital civic education portals, and mechanisms for enhanced youth engagement in governance.

Therefore, this process is not about managing dissent, but a deliberate and purposeful harnessing of the energy, creativity, and conviction of a generation that holds the future of the nation.

Further, the review will endeavour to harness mechanisms that will integrate the youth into economic development strategies, particularly in tech, creative industries, protecting online freedoms and adopting open-data governance to enhance transparency and accountability have also emerged.

Lastly, the review desires to establish the need for formal channels for participatory governance, including youth advisory boards with real influence and need to invest in mental health support and social safety nets to address the unique challenges this generation faces.

Following the successful conclusion of the 39th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Summit held last month, Kenya’s Targeted Review on Youth Issues has gained renewed momentum.

Dr Ruto has reaffirmed the government’s unwavering commitment to advancing the Targeted Review engagements focused on youth issues, emphasizing the process is a demonstration of the Government’s resolve to create inclusive platforms that empower young people to actively contribute to national development.

The writer is CEO, NEPAD/APRM Kenya Secretariat