IS YOUTH REPRESENTATION REAL IN POLITICAL GOVERNANCE? AN EMPIRICAL REVIEW OF MOMBASA COUNTY, KENYA

Author 1: ESHA ABDALLA
Student Kenyatta University
Department of Public Policy and Administration
Email: 24720.2024@students.ku.ac.ke

Author 2: DR. JANE NJOROGE, PHD
Senior Lecturer
Kenyatta University
Department of Public Policy and Administration
Email: njoroge.jane@ku.ac.ke

Abstract
Individuals aged 18 to 35 constitute around 44% of Mombasa County's population; yet, their participation in official political governance frameworks is restricted and frequently symbolic. Despite Mombasa having one of the highest youth populations in Kenya after Nairobi City County, gaps in meaningful youth engagement persist. While the constitution of Kenya (2010), Article 55, and national frameworks such as the National Youth Development Policy (2019) recognize youth as key actors in governance processes, youth engagement at the county level remains low, unstructured, and temporary, most of the time faintly visible during the electioneering period. Increased exclusion thus raises important areas of concern not only about the quality but also of inclusivity of political governance spaces, more so within a devolved system, which essentially was meant to enhance citizen participation and fair representation. This study thus explores the complex relationship between youth engagement practices, which would generally increase youth engagement and political governance outcomes in Mombasa County. The study focuses not just on whether youth participate but also on exploring the tangible effects of such engagements on political governance efficacy. The research is anchored on four main areas of youth engagement: representation of youth in elective and appointive positions, participation in formal forums such as one on the County Development Plan (CIDP), Youth – led advocacy spearheaded by youth led and centered organizations such as Swahilipot Hub Foundation and Her Narrative CBO; and resource mobilization- financial, technical and institutional that support sustained engagement. Both Good governance and the social capital theory are used to steer the research proposal. The paper presents the effectiveness of networks, trust and collective action in increasing political participation and governance. The study is based on a descriptive research design, using the youth population in civil society organizations and political parties, and people who are in elective or appointive positions as well as some Mombasa County Government officials involved in governance and participation issues. Youth respondents will be selected by use of random sample and selective selection will be used to select the elected and appointed youth as well as significant officials. The information received with the assistance of the structured questionnaires and Google Forms will be analyzed with the assistance of the descriptive statistics and presented in the table and figures. The study findings shall offer practical information on the manner in which practices of youth engagement can enhance political governance in the Mombasa County and in which policies can be strengthened to promote inclusive, accountable and participatory governance.

Key words: Youth Representation and Political Governance

Article Type: Open Access

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