By Eugenia Kindaruma
As we engage in unending politicking and mudslinging across our political divides, a quiet youth-led revolution is slowly unfolding. In Nairobi’s innovation hubs, Mombasa’s historic alleys, and the highlands of Eldoret, young Kenyans are picking up cameras, microphones, and keyboards to document their view of the Kenya they envisage and yearn for.
Their mission? To reshape how the world sees Kenya one story at a time. As Kenya targets to welcome 5 million international visitors by 2027 through the Kenya Tourism Board’s ambitious campaigns, emerging young storytellers hold a novel and unprecedented key powered by narratives that signal unapologetic hope in the foreseeable horizon.
Globally, destinations facing far graver challenges have transformed global perceptions by training their lens on solutions rather than wallowing in the muddied puddles of their struggles. For instance, Andalusia in Spain, reeling from pandemic losses and geopolitical disruptions, allocated strategic budgets toward youth-driven digital storytelling that resulted in a 31% tourism revenue surge by 2023. Their secret? Showcasing cultural heritage and community resilience through young creators rather than lingering on crises.
Similarly, Kenya’s untold stories—from Lamu’s artisans preserving Swahili woodcraft to Laikipia’s pastoralists innovating wildlife corridors—await the spotlight.
A group of youths pose for a photo during a past event. Photo: The Star Source: X
Here, then, are five pathways for Kenya’s youth to lead this narrative renaissance:
One, immersive digital storytelling. This harnesses the fluency of a generation weaned on technology. Consider how Andalusia’s tourism recovery was accelerated by augmented reality apps that transformed historic sites into interactive experiences. Kenya’s digital transformation strategy encourages similar innovation be they in virtual safaris, 360-degree coral reef explorations, or TikTok series demystifying Pokot honey harvesting rituals. When a Maasai elder explains celestial navigation over Instagram Reels or a poet’s ode to the Rift Valley goes viral, these become visceral invitations no brochure can rival.
Two, community narratives. Time is now to shift the spotlight to grassroots voices. Research from Kenya’s Rimoi National Reserve confirms that community participation directly correlates with positive tourism attitudes. Youth initiatives like the AHAPPY film competition exemplify this, tasking young creators with documenting elders’ wisdom or triumphs in conservation. Such stories transform tea farms into living museums and Gabra desert guides into cultural philosophers. This isn’t poverty voyeurism. It is dignity on display.
Three, niche experience storytelling. This approach targets global passions with surgical precision. Kenya’s strategy promotes specialised segments such as kite-surfing in Watamu, elite running in Iten, astronomy and astro-tourism in Samburu. When youth creators spotlight these, as with Sandra Tuombouh’s spoken-word pieces on Cameroonian agro-tourism, they magnetise specific audiences with irresistible allures. A series on free-diving with Bajuni pearl divers or birding in Kakamega Forest doesn’t just attract tourists; rather, it captivates communities of enthusiasts.
Four, cross-sector collaboration. This multiplies reach through institutional partnerships. The Kenya Tourism Board’s alliances with airlines, hotels, and tech firms similar to those boosting Andalusia’s promotions ensure stories do not echo in voids. When a youth film on Laikipia’s wildlife corridors screens at an international expo via KTB networks, local wisdom becomes a curiosity-inspiring global attraction. These synergies turn anecdotes into anchors of national branding.
Five, solutions-focused storytelling. This approach reframes challenges as canvases for triumph. As seen in the “Andalusian Crush” campaign, documenting solar-powered schools in Dadaab or coral restoration in Watamu follows a proven principle that showcases agency, not anguish. When youth highlight start-ups converting plastic waste into safari lodges or Pokot women’s aloe vera cooperatives, they mirror how global leaders narrate their journeys that make obstacles triggers for living stories, not epitaphs.
To Kenya’s storytellers, I say your lens is your sovereignty. Superpowers arose not by ignoring their fractures, but by fixing global gazes upon their skylines. When you film a grandmother recounting Taita folklore or coders creating apps for ethical wildlife tourism, you practice narrative alchemy while transforming raw realities into resonant hope. The world already knows Kenya for its marathon legends and conservation marvels. We should now present Kenya as a wellspring of ingenuity not an abode without a future.
For every story of struggle, there exists a parallel narrative of perseverance. Our task is not to sanitise reality, but to suffuse it with meaning. As Andalusia learned in its darkest season, budgets and airports draw visitors, but stories capture imaginations. So wield your creativity as both compass and catalyst and let the dancer in Kajiado, the innovator in Nanyuki, the marine biologist in Kisite Mpunguti remind the world that nations are not known as they are but as they are told.
Kindaruma is a Meru-based leadership trainer and educationist
