Youth involvement and political dialogue in Kenya

The Danish Liberal Party work with the Centre for Multiparty Democracy (CMD-K) to improve multiparty democracy in Kenya. The CMD provides a platform for political parties, political actors, and policy makers to engage in dialogue and cooperate in strengthening multiparty democracy.  

These dialogues aim to provide the political parties’ leaderships with incentives to engage in meaningful, cross-political collaborations on specific reform and agendas, while also being provided inputs and motivations to develop policies on issues of public concern at both national and local level. These dialogues are being facilitated through intergenerational meetings, fostering intra-party, inter-party, and multi-actor dialogue on important issues at the national and devolved levels while strengthening the capacity and systems of political parties. One specific inspiration from Denmark which has been translated to the Kenyan context’ is the Democracy Festival on Bornholm. In March 2019, the first ever Democracy Festival: People’s Dialogue Festival (PDF) took place in Nairobi. PDF turned out to be a ground-breaking event and CMD-K will repeat the success in March 2020. 

“The people’s dialogue festival was a rare opportunity for the people of Kenyat o sit down and talk with their leaders” Maureen, CMD Kenya 

Furthermore, the partnership aspires to increase young Kenyans involvement in party politics, as well as in decision making, at all levels of political governance. The project sees youth  organised within the parties and educated on policy formulation and collaboration. The ambition is to contribute to the development of a new generation of political leadership in Kenya’s political parties. A generation that prioritises peaceful dialogue who can drive forward the Kenyan wave of democratisation. 

Since the Danish Liberal Party and DIPD started working in Kenya in 2011 political parties have started implementing strategies to enhance political participation and influence of young women and men. 

The Constitution of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party now recognizes the ODM Youth League and through this the youth league attained legal rights and formal recognition by the party. 

The Amani National Congress (ANC) and KANU parties have developed a youth charter and work plan respectively to guide the operations of their youth leagues in decision making processes.  

Youth in Democratic Party (DP) is now represented in the National Executive Committee (NEC). The youth reps have equal voting rights as the other NEC members, which further amplifies the young people’s voice in the management of the party affairs.