By Jacinta Kamene
Kenya’s true seismic force is her young men and women under 35 years standing at 75 per cent of the entire population. This demographic tsunami holds the latent power to catapult Kenya into an era of unprecedented prosperity. With close to 800,000 young Kenyans entering the job market annually and working-age citizens projected to reach 73 per cent by 2050 Kenya stands at the precipice of a demographic dividend that could multiply GDP per capita many times over if innovatively harnessed.
The contours of potential are already visible. Liz Kerubo Nyakundi’s journey from grant recipient to thriving honey entrepreneur through the Kenya Youth Employment and Opportunities Project (KYEOP) epitomises the “Ujasiriamali” (entrepreneurship) spirit. Her success mirrors a broader phenomenon where 86,000 youths launched businesses through KYEOP, collectively creating 125,000 jobs and boosting incomes by 50 per cent.
Such initiatives prove that when equipped with skills, mentorship, and capital—particularly for young women facing disproportionate barriers—Kenya’s youth can transform subsistence into sustainability. Meanwhile, digital innovation amplifies this potential, with tech-savvy generations turning Silicon Savannah into a beacon for African software development and fintech.
The annals of human progress reveal an immutable truth in the sense that civilizations leap forward when youth are unleashed at watershed moments. Consider the May Fourth Movement of 1919 China, where students ignited intellectual revolution by rejecting feudal traditions and moving on to pave the way for modernity.
Recall America’s Civil Rights Movement that was essentially galvanized by young individuals like the Greensboro Four who integrated segregated lunch counters through nonviolent resistance thereby dismantling institutional racism. Elsewhere in post-war Germany, “Trümmerfrauen” (rubble women), mostly teenagers, literally rebuilt cities brick by brick while their male counterparts were imprisoned or incapacitated.
A Kenyan youth gestures during a past public engagement. Photo: The Star Source: Facebook
The 1976 Soweto Uprising saw South African students protest against apartheid education leading to an awakening of global conscience that lingers to this day. Adolescent inventors like James Watt whose steam engine innovations powered factories accelerated Britain’s Industrial Revolution. India’s freedom struggle drew vitality from young revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, who though martyred at 23 went on to ignite independence fervour.
Indonesia’s 1998 student protests ousted Suharto’s dictatorship, birthing Southeast Asia’s third-largest democracy. Meanwhile, Chile’s “Penguin Revolution” of 2006 saw high schoolers demand education equity, triggering nationwide reforms.
Closer to home, Ghana’s “Year of Return” campaign leveraged young diaspora artists and entrepreneurs to boost tourism by 45% within a year. Not that many miles away, Rwanda’s post-genocide revival entrusted youth with reconciliation initiatives and digital governance, making it Africa’s second-most competitive economy. These movements share a common DNA – young people rejecting inherited narratives and wielding new tools to rebuild civilizational foundations.
The prescription for youth transformation is rather clear. We need to scale initiatives like NYOTA, which extends KYEOP’s model by good numbers especially for vulnerable youths. We should now focus on investing in technical training aligned with labour demands particularly in green energy, where Kenya already generates 93% renewable power.
Most crucially, we need to trust youth with ownership and learn from real examples of breakthroughs. For instance, when Rimoi National Reserve involved communities in tourism, positive attitudes surged by 66 per cent. Just imagine multiplying this through youth-led conservation enterprises.
Kenya’s rising generation stands on the precipice of greatness. Just as Chilean students reshaped education and Ghanaian innovators revived heritage tourism, our young persons digital fluency, entrepreneurial energy, and moral clarity can ignite all sectors of our economy literally.
Just as post-war German youth rebuilt cities from rubble, our own youth too can reconstruct our vital systems and bring about sweeping renewal. Vision 2030’s promise of middle-income status remains within reach if you wield both smartphones and shovels and tools to build sustainable enterprises. Historically, many of the world’s transformative epochs were led not by those clinging to old ways, but by young renegades who reimagined possibilities.
Kenya’s arc of progress now bends toward the hands of our young people. They should seize the moment with unbending audacity and defend their territory from revisionists who would like Kenya to seem averse to its great promise primarily held by its youth.
History awaits our young persons action not as mere spectators but as architects of an African renaissance that will echo through centuries. The dividend is ripe and the harvest is due.
Kamene is a consumer protection and regulatory policy specialist.
