The missing peace: Recognise youths as brokers rather than breakers of peace in Kenya.
Kenya is a very youthful country according to the 2019 Population and Census results which shows that 75% of the 47.6 million population is under the age of 35. Unfortunately, a large percentage of this population is unemployed and feels marginalised in terms of access to opportunities, representation, and participation. A discussion on young people’s democratic participation in Kenya’s political processes such as elections immediately stokes debates concerning their role in violence and the failure of this constituency to be effectively engaged in political, governance and electoral processes. Incongruent, this article using various examples, argues that youth should not be treated as a problem to be solved, instead of as partners for peace.
The youth-bulge theory relies to too great an extent on quantitative data and neglects the views and perspectives of young people, which may help challenge this assumed correlation between youth and violence. In an increasingly interconnected world shaped by pervasive security concerns, stereotypes associating young people with violence are widespread and contagious. The stigmatization of youth manifests in prevailing stereotypes of young men as violent predators or potential spoilers of peace. Considerably, it might be true that young men are the primary perpetrators of many forms of violence, but these assumptions reinforce images of universally violent masculinity, which has the erroneous effect of demonizing all young men. The following examples of youth-led initiatives promoting peace challenge these stereotypes.
First, the Youth Café is a good case in point of a youth-led and youth-serving organization working with young men and women in Kenya to promote peaceful elections. The Youth Cafe was launched in 2012 by a group of bright and motivated young people who were honoured to be selected to give input to the United Nations High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post 2015 Agenda. Together they devised the model that The Youth Café utilizes today.
The Café works on an overarching goal around youth inclusion in the democratic process to increase the number of youths participating in electoral processes now and in the future, to catalyse intergenerational power-sharing and co-leadership. Some of the marginalized sections of youth the Café works with include youth living with disability, youth living in informal settlements, young women and girls, minority youth, and indigenous youth, among others. The programme is part of the Engage Jamii programme aimed at conflict prevention and resolution, increasing youth participation in decision-making through training, art competitions, focus group discussions and media outreach.
Second, the is “Inuka! Supporting Vulnerable Youth to Participate in Community Peace and Security Efforts in Coastal Kenya” (Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu, Mombasa) funded by the European Commission and implemented by Search for Common Ground in partnership with Kiunga Youth Bunge Initiative (KYBI), Human Rights Agenda (HURIA), Humanity Action Knowledge Integrity in Africa (HAKI Africa) and Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI). The youth-led project has strengthened the capacity of and coordination among community-based youth groups and led to increased participation of youth
(including at-risk youth) in peace & security efforts, thus giving youth an active “voice”. The outreach and media activities have increased awareness of target communities of the potential of at-risk youth to positively contribute to peace and security. Various engagements between youth and security actors, in ‘maskanis’, improved their relationship and increased community trust.
Peer to peer problem solving sessions in Lamu organised by the Inuka project.
Photo by Kiunga Youth Bunge Initiative
Third, related initiatives such as the #LetPeaceWin campaign supported by UNDP and implemented by the UWIANO Platform for Peace members and many other youth-led initiatives — Women Volunteers for Peace (WOVOP), Uzalendo Afrika Initiative, Life and Peace Institute etc., are key in supporting the argument that today’s generation of young people is a major force for social, economic, and demographic change, so their meaningful participation is fundamental to achieving a just and peaceful world. Young people are substantially contributing to the discussions on key peace and security issues, as well as achieving real progress for the Youth, Peace, and Security Agenda in Kenya and beyond.
The role of young people is key to stabilization, as recognized by the UNSCR 2250 which calls for the effective participation of young people in peacebuilding efforts. Youth development is anchored in the constitution, for example, the 2010 Constitution under Article 55 provides that the state shall take measures, including affirmative action, to ensure that the youth have access to relevant education and training; are accorded an opportunity to be represented and participate in political, social and other spheres of life; have access to employment and are protected from harmful cultural practices and exploitation.
There is everything to gain by including young people as agents for peace and in democratic processes such as elections. We should continue looking to youth for creative ways to solve conflicts and promote lasting peace. As a member of the UN, Kenya should carry out and implement Resolutions 2250 (2015), 2419 (2018), 2535 (2020) and 1325 (2000). Kenya should use its recently acquired non-permanent UNSC membership to prioritise the implementation of the resolutions on youth.
Overall, we should continue recognizing the youth as a legitimate stakeholder in the peace and security processes and as the generation who will be implementing resolutions and agreements made, particularly at the community level. By shifting attitudes towards youth from pacification to empowerment, youth can be viewed as credible voices in decision-making, which would promote a sense of ownership of the peace process among the youth. Youth are not just a problem or people with a problem, youth should not be seen as a challenge or problem to be solved. Youth are instead solution providers. Young people must be at the centre of development, peace and security processes.
By Martin Namasaka.
Communications Specialist UNDP Kenya.
