The Myth of Youth Vote in Kenya
On Monday, the commission responsible for conducting and managing elections in Kenya, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Comission (IEBC) released its audit report on the state of the voter register. The audit report prepared by KPMG reveals that youths registered as voters represents 39.57 percent of the registered voters signifying a 5.27 percent decline in the number of youths who registered as voters compared to 2017.
Speaking to the media at Bomas of Kenya, IEBC Chief, Wafula Chebukati also noted that there was 7.7 percent decline in the number of female youth who registered as voters as compared to 2017.
Often times we have been reminded by statistics and even rhetoric of how Kenya is a youthful country. According to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) the 2019 census data, out of 47.6 million Kenyans, 35.7 million are below the age of 35 years.
Of the 35.7 million, 13.7 million were aged between 18 years to 34 years and 61 percent of this population is working while 1.6 million are seeking employment.
However, there is a stark difference between these numbers and those on the KPMG audit report on voter register that was released by IEBC on Monday. So what does the data from the audit report reveal?
We have listened to politicians using the phrase, “youths are the majority and they are going to determine the 2022 race,” however, from the Audit report it is now clear that, that might just be a cliché.
The audit on the register revealed a massive voter apathy among the youth and this might just spell doom to those who are heavily depending on the Youth constituency. Simply because when we look at the past general elections, it is clear that the youths rarely turnout in large numbers to participate in elections and this year probably won’t be an exception.
Causes of voter Apathy among Youths
The voter apathy revealed by the audit might have been caused by a number of reasons, chief among them being unemployment. Youth unemployment in Kenya has assumed a crisis proportion in the wake of the recession caused by Covid-19 pandemic. Limited access to opportunities and unemployment are two main challenges that the Kenyan youth is grappling with today. The census data released by KNBS in February 2020 shows that 38.9 percent of Kenyan youths are unemployed hence the widened gulf between the rich and the poor. The fact that the current regime has done little in trying to solve this problem could be the reason as to why there is voter apathy among youths.
Another reason for the voter apathy among the youths could be increased corruption rates. Kenya has witnessed massive loss of public resources to individuals in the recent years. The massive graft cases range from the NYS scandal that happened in two phases, the Eurobond scandal, the Afya house scandal and the KEMSA deal scandal. Interestingly, some of those alleged to have participated in the stealing of billions of shillings are still walking scot free some have been awarded some elective seats by the voters. All these plus other related ills have created a feeling of disillusionment among the youths leading to the voter apathy being witnessed
Myth of Youth vote
In my opinion, unless the youth attempt 100 percent voter turnout, there is really nothing they shall determine in the coming polls. It should be remembered that each election cycle, the country does not record an almost absolute majority (99 percent) voter turnout. In 2017, we recorded a 79.51 percent voter turnout, one of the highest voter turnout to have been recorded in the country and out of this percentage, the youths did not reach the 40 percent mark in the voter turnout. So what makes you think that 2022 might be any different?
We have long way as a country to encourage our youths to engage in the political discourse beyond empty rhetoric and hype that often fizzles away like hot air.
