Youth, Villages, Participation and COVID19 in Kenya

Katya Rangadass , Rapudo Hawi and Dr. Collins Oduor

This article takes note that Kenya’s population in the 21st century keeps growing, according to the census report 2018, 60 percent of the population is the youth. In both rural and urban areas, there are more young people now than elderly persons. Social-economic problems have intensified in Kenya despite limited government interventions, even with the introduction of devolution and county governance, the youth have difficulties surviving –especially in rural communities. The youth are constantly facing challenges of trying to achieve their life goals –health, education, and jobs all do not come easy to them. In most cases, many of them don’t have the voice or chance to speak up or make changes for themselves. Because of this lack of a platform to communicate to the public, making it even harder to stand a chance to take leadership against Coronavirus.

The current state of Covid-19 in Kenya has affected living standards and economic stability, recent reports of the first two cases, now confirmed as recovered, is a testament that youth in Kenya are indeed susceptible to the virus. The susceptibility of youth contracting Covid-19 should be taken with the utmost seriousness by the government and the young people themselves. The mentality that youth are immune to contracting coronavirus should be kept at bay and indeed challenged. Furthermore, instead of being able to get adequate healthcare or quality education, they are pushed towards dysfunctional habits, crime, and substance abuse increasing their risk to the virus.