The Engagement of Youth and Special Interest Groups in the Electoral Process in Kenya

Are Kenyan youth, women and persons with disabilities disinterested in elections? This question broadly guided a research study focusing on the engagement of special interest groups - the youth, women and people with disabilities - in national elections as voters and aspirants undertaken between August and December 2023 by Jaslika. Co-funded by Danida and UNDP through Uraia Trust, this research was part of three other post-election thematic studies conducted by the Consortium for Election Research and Advocacy (CERA) of which Jaslika is a member. On June 23, 2024, a half-day workshop was convened by the Uraia Trust to launch the summarised version of the four studies under the title "Strategic Insights Research Report on Electoral Excellence: Thematic Recommendations for Pre-2027 Electoral Reforms". A summary of the report is available on the Uraia website.

The Jaslika-led thematic study report “The Engagement Of Youth And Special Interest Groups in the Electoral Process in Kenya” takes an intersectional approach, focusing on discovering the factors that influenced the decisions of members of special interest groups to vote or not to vote, and whether or not to vie for political positions. The sample included a cross-section of Kenyans - approximately 400 - women and men voters, successful and unsuccessful candidates for different electoral positions, members of political parties, civil society organisations, faith-based organisations, and government institutions including IEBC. Our conclusions were drawn from the perspectives of the research participants and triangulated with the findings of a comprehensive literature review, providing the basis for recommendations to address the barriers faced by youth, women and people with disabilities in participating meaningfully in national elections.

Based on the findings, it proposes the following 5-Point Agenda to Navigate Roadblocks to Engagement of Youth, Women, and PWDs in Electoral Processes: 

  1. Civic Education: Comprehensive, contextual, continuous with gender transformational content and pedagogy

  2. Data: Accessible, disaggregated for targeted interventions

  3. Infrastructure and Facilities: Flexible, gender and inclusive 

  4. Resources: Timely allocation and disbursements 

  5. Advocacy: Enforcement of democratic, gender and disability transformative and value-based election laws and practices