Every election cycle, young Kenyans are described as the most consequential voting bloc in the country. Political parties court their support, candidates speak to their aspirations, and campaigns put a lot of effort into reaching them. Their numbers make them an important part of any election.

However, beyond the number consideration, is a question we do not ask often enough: How much influence do young people really have over the political choices they are being asked to make?

Democratic participation is often associated with registering to vote, showing up at the polling station and choosing a preferred candidate. Voting is an important part of democracy, but political participation does not end there. Citizens also need information and opportunities to engage with political processes and the ability to question and influence decisions made by those in power.

For young Kenyans, this means moving from simply being voters to having agency.

Beyond the Ballot Box

The ballot box is not where democratic participation begins or ends.

Before an election, political parties decide on policies, candidates and leadership. During elections, citizens choose from the options presented to them. After elections, elected leaders execute their mandates and make decisions that affect people's everyday lives. The expectation, according to the Constitution at least, is that young people should have a place in all these conversations. Yet Kenyan youth are historically very visible during elections without necessarily having much influence in political processes that take place between electoral cycles. They may be campaign mobilisers or active voices online while having little say in decisions about party leadership, candidate selection or policy priorities.

This raises an important question: Are young people being brought into politics to help shape decisions, or mainly to help others win elections?

Being a Majority Is Not Enough

Young people make up a significant part of Kenya's population, according to Femnet, youth constitute approximately 66.7% of the voting-age population, and this gives them potential political influence. But simply having the numbers does not automatically mean having power.

What matters is what young people can do with that influence.

Can they question the policies being presented to them? Can they influence the political parties’ policies and nomination processes? Can they effectively take part in governance and leadership discussions? And, after elections, can they hold the leaders they have selected accountable?

Participation Requires Information

It is difficult to hold leaders accountable when one is not privy to the activities, conduct and output of their representatives.

For young people, access to information about Parliament and elected representatives is, therefore, a critical part of participation. Knowing who represents you is a starting point. Knowing what they actually do and how their decisions affect you once they get into office is another.

Mzalendo Trust's Track Your Representative tool gives citizens a way to follow the work of their MPs. Citizens can assess their representatives’ effectiveness in executing their mandate of representation, legislation and oversight through simplified, reliable and accurate data. The data gives citizens a picture of the legislative and policy interventions that MPs sponsor, the debates (contributions) and decisions (voting records) they make, the quality of their contributions during debates, the committees they serve in and whether their legislative priorities mirror citizens’ needs.

This allows every citizen to not only ask, “Who did I vote for?”, but go beyond and ask “What has my representative done with the mandate I gave them?”

The 2027 Test

As Kenya moves towards the 2027 General Election, much of the conversation around young people will focus on voter registration, turnout and the influence of the youth vote. These conversations are important, but they should not be where the conversation ends.

The bigger question is whether young people will have a meaningful role in shaping the politics that surrounds the election and the governance that follows.

Will they have a voice within political parties? Will they be able to influence the issues that politicians campaign on? Will they have access to information that helps them assess candidates and their promises? And will there be deliberate mechanisms to ensure the youth meaningfully engage their representatives beyond the ballot?

From Voice to Ownership

Creating spaces where young people can have these conversations is an important part of strengthening participation.

The Youth Assembly, organised by Mzalendo Trust in partnership with the Kenya Young Parliamentarians Association (KYPA), provides one such space.

Under the #IDD2026 theme “Raising Hands and Voices: Fostering Youth Agency and Ownership through Deliberative Democracy,” the Assembly gives the youth an opportunity to reflect on what meaningful participation looks like and what needs to change for them to play a stronger role in Kenya's democracy ahead of 2027. As 2027 approaches, perhaps the question should therefore change.

Instead of asking “Will young people vote?”, we should ask: will the youth voice count for something come August 2027?