Youth perception of and participation in electoral democracy in Kenya

Abstract

Young people in Kenya have increasingly attracted immense attention especially in politics. The role they play in the political arena is well documented in Kenya’s political history. This study has explored the perceptions and attitude of the Kenyan youths towards the fundamental concepts of democracy and governance. The study has analyzed their engagement and involvement in the Kenyan democracy with the particular focus on the rationale for their political behaviors. It also seeks to examine how the youths perceive their political leaders and political parties taking into perspective the barriers they face in their political participation. Moreover, the study explores to understand the youth in the light of ethnicity and ethnic politics. The findings and discussions in this study are as a result of the use of both primary and secondary sources, involving 45 individual interviews and 4 focus group discussions. Providing a descriptive analysis of their political behavior, this paper argues that the youths are co-authors of the current political culture in Kenya’s democracy.