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Journal of
Public Policy and Administration
2022; 6(2): 100-104
http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/jppa
doi:
10.11648/j.jppa.20220602.16
ISSN: 2640-2688 (Print); ISSN: 2640-2696 (Online)
Challenges Affecting Youth Participation in Governance:
A Case of Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya
Lumadede Japheth, Vengi Ambrose, Nzioka John
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Tharaka University College, Marimanti,
Kenya
Email address:
To cite this article:
Lumadede Japheth, Vengi Ambrose, Nzioka John. Challenges Affecting Youth Participation in Governance: A Case of Tharaka-Nithi County,
Kenya. Journal of Public Policy and Administration. Vol. 6, No. 2, 2022, pp. 100-104. doi: 10.11648/j.jppa.20220602.16
Received: May 28, 2022; Accepted: June 15, 2022; Published: June 27, 2022
Abstract:
County governance can be improved by catalyzing youth participation at the local levels. This research sought to
gauge the status of governance in the counties. This study was guided by the theory of Positive Youth Development. The study
adopted a case study research design. The study was carried out in Tharaka-Nithi County. The target population of the study was
393,177, the adult population of the county, and the accessible population (N) was 3,698, which was the youth population in the
county that is politically active. From this, a sample of 36 was selected purposively. Among them, 28 were interviewed using
focus group discussions, and 8 participants used key informant interviews to give in-depth information on youth participation in
governance. The focus group discussion guide and interview schedule were the instruments of data collection. The instruments
were given to colleagues for validation. Qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic content analysis approach with the help
of MAX. Qda software. The findings of this study are of importance to the policy practitioners and county government officials
in their bid of enhancing youth participation in governance.
Keywords:
Governance, Accountability, Policy, Civic Engagement
1. Introduction
Young people in Kenya (the entire population of those
under the age of 35 years) constitute 75.1 percent of the
country’s population. On the other hand, those aged 65 years
and above constitute 3.9% of the entire population in the
country [11]. Despite constituting the majority of the
population, Kenya’s youth have remained at the periphery of
the country’s affairs for decades and their needs and
aspirations have not been accorded due recognition. The youth
have not been adequately engaged in the designing, planning,
and implementation of programmes and policies that affect
them and as result, their knowledge, skill, and energy are
underutilized [6, 16].
Devolution was an important step toward the promotion of
good governance. Unlike the national government, devolved
units, in Kenya’s case, counties are better placed to deliver
social services to the people [15], because the challenges a
county faces are specific to it, and only its local leadership
with its local knowledge is able to address them effectively.
Good governance requires that institutions serve all
stakeholders within a reasonable and acceptable time frame. It
means that institutions and processes produce results that
satisfy the needs and meet the needs of society while using
resources at their disposal at best [22]. Participation is at the
core of governance to ensure the leadership offered is
satisfactory. The governments are thus now under increasing
pressure to demonstrate that their services are citizen-focused
and thus citizens are engaged and own the developments.
Since Kenya adopted the new devolution framework
comprehensive analysis of challenges facing youths regarding
governance especially the dimension of governance on quality
of public service had never been studied in any of the Kenyan
counties. Yet it is important to constantly get citizens’
feedback on public service in order to improve it.
2. Literature Review
United Nations Youth observes that the youth are a
dynamic and creative force that is capable of making
significant change and improvement in governance all over
the world [21]. Despite this, they are rarely involved in any
101 Lumadede Japheth et al.: Challenges Affecting Youth Participation in Governance:
A Case of Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya
meaningful engagement concerning governance and are often
afflicted with poverty, discrimination, ignorance, and limited
opportunities for employment and business [8]. In most
countries, for instance, the youth are encouraged to engage in
political, social, and economic pursuits while in higher
institutions of learning but are often discouraged from
pursuing these interests once they graduate. As a result, they
do not consider themselves competent enough in a world
beyond learning institutions.
The Kenyan youth continue to face discrimination, neglect,
and exclusion from political, social, and economic
participation. This is despite the fact that they constitute
more than two-thirds of the population of the country. They
have been condemned to poverty, joblessness, and little or no
participation in policy making on matters that could greatly
improve their lives. This section presents literature on some
of the challenges the youth face, which hinder them from
fully participating in leadership at various levels of
government [13].
Firstly, there is lack of adequate civic education intended to
sensitize the youth on their rights, freedoms and roles in
governance. There have been few attempts made to educate
them on the Kenyan constitution, policy making, their roles
and rights during elections, and many other public processes
in which they are required to participate. Lack of civic
education makes majority of these youth to rely on their
leaders, most of whom are older and would not wish to
relinquish power to younger generations, hence being easily
misled or manipulated [20].
A second challenge to youth participation is lack of
empowerment that comes with employment and job security.
The high number of youths is not proportional or
commensurate with the employment opportunities available
or created in both the public and private service. Lack of job
opportunities would mean that the youth are less interested in
participating in their civic duties and more engaged in finding
means of survival in harsh economic times. This would be a
disadvantage to them [18]. Most of the unemployed, despite
having adequate training in colleges and universities, settle for
small businesses and casual jobs which enable them to earn
barely enough for a daily living. Some of the skilled graduates
end up doing jobs they are not qualified for while others resort
to a life of crime to make ends meet [9].
Bialostocka argues that discrimination is also another
challenge the youth face when seeking opportunities for
leadership in Kenya. Job opportunities are more likely to be
awarded to undeserving relatives of the hiring parties without
fair consideration of the applicants. Similarly, in regards to
leadership, positions of governance are usually awarded to
those close to the management without due process [5]. This
means that some of the youth that get leadership opportunities
do not have the attributes of good leaders and therefore cannot
be relied upon to make good decisions on behalf of the rest of
the youth.
A major challenge to youth participation in governance is
the conception of the young people as chaotic, reckless and
without a rational capacity. As such, it is assumed that they
were always need constant monitoring. This mentality is
especially held by elder members of the society who mostly
argue that the youth need to be managed and not be involved
in matters of governance [3]. This assumption is ill-advised
and inconsiderate of the fact that most of the problems that
face the society, whether economic, social or political, mostly
affect the youth and they can validly propose practical
solutions to them.
It is imperative that the youth be given an opportunity to
participate in national and local governance processes if the
vision or goals of the Kenyan society are to be achieved [15].
Sidelining them was only limit the perspectives in which
problems are understood and was limit the possible
interventions for them.
Opportunities for the youth in governance can be
enhanced and made available through various means. Firstly,
there is need to implement available policies on youth
welfare and empowerment. Most of the policies have either
been ignored or given little attention by the concerned
authorities. For instance, the government should ensure that
they provide enough resources and trainers of civic
education to the youth. This has not been achieved to the
desired levels. The youth need to be trained to understand
their rights and freedoms as well as their role in
transformation of the society they live in [17].
According to Smith, Marks, Novelli, Valiente and
Scandurra, empowerment is dependent on the realization that
the youth have a free will and do not necessarily need to align
themselves with the demands and rules laid out by older
generations. Once they achieve autonomy, they can freely
choose the best course of action for their problems and
become agents of change in the Kenya society [19].
There is also need to revise the traditional ways of
educating and training the youth. Instead of training them
how to think and what to learn, they should be trained on
how to learn and the importance of committing themselves to
their decisions. Paradigms of communication should also be
revised so that elderly members of the society learn to treat
the youth like their equals and not as problem to be taken
care of [7].
This research was motivated by the observation that the
youth, who constitute the majority of the population in Kenya,
are rarely engaged in matters such as decision making
processes and governance. It sought to investigate various
challenges that affected the participation of youth in
governance. The significance of this study is that it will
provide information on these challenges, as experienced
among the youth in Tharaka Nithi County, and seek to offer
recommendations which will be applicable to the entire
country.
3. Methodology
The study used a case study research design. In this design,
the researcher conducts both quantitative and qualitative data
collection phases simultaneously, and then analyzes the
results. The study was carried out in Tharaka Nithi County
Journal of Public Policy and Administration 2022; 6(2): 100-104 102
which is a typical representation of other counties in Kenya.
The County has four sub counties: namely, Meru South,
Maara, Tharaka South and Tharaka North. Tharaka Nithi
County has a population of 393,177 (Maara 114,894, Igamba
53,210, Tharaka North 58,345, Tharaka south 75,250). The
accessible population of the study is the 3,698 politically
active youths in the counties. The rationale for selecting
Tharaka Nithi County was that, since it’s the locale where the
researchers reside, it was easier for them to sample the study
population because they are conversant with the area
population and the native languages.
The study adopted purposive and non-proportionate
sampling from the accessible population of 3,698. In each of
the four sub counties thus, 39 respondents were selected. 2 of
the respondents were interviewed using key informant
interviews, 7 were engaged in a focus group discussion and
the other 30 answered the questionnaires.
The study used interview schedules and focus group
discussion guide to collect data. Interview schedule was used
to collect qualitative data from key informants. The researcher
made appointments with 2 key respondents in every sub
county and conducted the interviews at a place of their
convenience. Focus group discussion was conducted with
selected number of youths. The researcher made appointments
with these selected youths and conducted the discussions at an
area that was convenient for them. Discussions were
tape-recorded with the permission of the respondents.
To ensure internal, construct and content validity of the
research instrument, the research instruments were given to
colleagues for expert judgement and thereafter corrections
were made as necessary. This was done by checking the
instrument items against the study objectives. The analysis
was done through thematic content analysis methods.
The entire research process was conducted with due respect
to ethical considerations of research. The researchers obtained
informed consent from the respondents to participate in the
study. The researchers were careful to avoid causing physical
or psychological harm to respondents by asking embarrassing
or irrelevant questions, using threatening language or making
respondents nervous. The researchers also treated the
respondents’ views with respect and utmost confidentiality.
4. Results and Discussions
The findings of the survey revealed that the sample of
citizens for this study consisted of 62% male youths and 38%
females. This means that the majority of male youths tend to
engage more in governance issues compared to their female
counterparts. The average age of youths engaging in
governance was also found to be 26 years. This means that
those who engage in governance are middle-aged youths. In
focus group discussions and key informant interviews, the
participants were asked about challenges that youths face to
access, participate, and be significantly involved in
governance. Most of the participants in the focus group
discussion and key informant interviews held in Igamba,
Maara, Tharaka South, and Tharaka North sub-counties said
that they experience challenges such as Lack of involvement
in development initiatives, Insufficient exposure to
opportunities, Inadequate awareness as well as education,
being looked down upon, lack of representation in the various
leadership opportunities, and corruption. The following
statements are in support:
The government has been working alone and government
initiatives do not truly reflect the priorities of the youth, we
are not engaged in deciding what we want and how we want
it. The government should know that enabling and
incorporating the youth in decisions allows us to evaluate
the projects and bring insights that are so important for
development (Discussant F; Male, Tharaka South).
The views of the respondent above agree with the findings
of other studies [12, 14] which place the youth among parties
that have been marginalized, both in the past and at present, in
important governance processes. Policies are formulated and
implemented without the input of this group, resulting in
ineffectiveness of these policies.
I think inadequate education among some youths limits
their ability to understand governance and what is expected
of them to do. Some of these notices and engagements are
available to youths through forums such as WhatsApp
groups and social media but they are ignored. (Discussant
A; Male, Maara).
In agreement with the above assertion, various studies have
demonstrated that ignorance is one of the greatest challenges
to youth knowledge of good governance and their
participation in ensuring it [1, 2]. Ignorance of their civic
rights and duties, lack of knowledge on how to monitor and
demand for proper governance, and the illusion that they are
marginalized, therefore, discriminated against is a challenge
that needs to be addressed urgently [4, 10].
In my opinion, I think the government whether at the county
level or at the national level should be at the forefront in
planning, organizing, and holding governance training for
the youths rather than just relying on the civil societies and
mass media for the role (Key Informant 2; Female, Tharaka
North).
Engaging the youths in political or leadership positions is
likely to bring the perception that the youths in those
positions will articulate their needs and opinions at the
decision-making table, hence the need to actually foster
more youths in such critical positions. This is however not
the case as there are many youths who are qualified,
brilliant, and can demonstrate exceptional skills but are not
given a chance to do the same. The youths feel marginalized,
and thus exhibit a lack of zeal or passion for governance
issues unless pushed to the wall (Discussant E; Female,
Meru South).
In most cases, however, the youths are looked down upon
such that they cannot access certain information in their
quest to ensure good governance. They end up giving up
and hence become discouraged from engaging in
governance matters (Key Informant 1; Female, Meru
South).
Since many youths think they have been limited to issues
103 Lumadede Japheth et al.: Challenges Affecting Youth Participation in Governance:
A Case of Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya
pertaining to governance, some tend to self-exclude on the
basis that the discrimination against the youth in terms of
representation in leadership and political positions,
decision making as well as the fact that they are not heard
makes them exclude themselves (Discussant D; Male,
Tharaka North).
In A survey conducted by the UN IANYD in 2012, a
majority of 13000 respondents voicing their plights from over
186 countries highlighted that the main challenges for the
youths were limited opportunities in terms of effective
participation in the decision-making process. With such
limited opportunities and exposure to meaningfully participate
in inclusive decision-making processes, young men and
women feel excluded and marginalized in their societies i.e.,
the personal exclusion that they cannot be heard [23].
5. Conclusions
It is noteworthy to conclude that youths not being involved
in designing, planning, and implementing policies that are
affecting them directly was the most mentioned challenge and
inadequate education was the least mentioned challenge in
Tharaka Nithi County. The youths also lacked opportunities to
participate in governance in the county. It can also be
concluded that a majority of the youths wish to be trained by
the government and be included in political and leadership
opportunities and roles.
6. Policy Recommendations
The policy recommendations from this study include:
i. The youths should be engaged right from the onset in
planning, designing, and implementing policies that
directly affect them as such was make the acquainted
with what is expected and hence participate in
governance matters.
ii. The county and the national government should
endeavor to encourage and foster the participation of the
youths at all levels of governance as that was boost their
confidence and subsequent gaining of experience in
matters of governance.
iii. The youths should be accorded a chance to hold both
leadership and political positions since a good bunch of
the youths are well-educated, brilliant, and academic
luminaries. This was also ensured that they have their
own representatives that can articulate matters on their
behalf at decision-making levels.
7. Limitations and Future Research
The first limitation is that the study was conducted in one
county; therefore the reliability of the results restricts the
extent to which the findings can be generalized across the
Kenyan counties. Future research work especially on how
remote engagement via social media can be achieved will help
improve governance significantly.
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