Press release: Embargoed April 17, 2018: 00:01hrs
Young Kenyans are ambitious, positive and keen to shape the future of their country Competition for scarce opportunities, corruption and inequality are frustrating their efforts
More than one in five Kenyans are between 15 and 24 years of age. This cohort of 10 million plus youth presents a unique opportunity to the country to capture a demographic dividend. Empowering this next generation will be critical to realising the country’s full economic and social potential. According to research findings from the British Council’s Next Generation Kenya Report young people have a strong sense of pride in Kenya; with 91 per cent of those who responded to a national household survey saying they love their country, and 86 per cent agreeing that both the heritage and identity of the country are important to them. However, they blame corruption and a ‘rigged system’ for high unemployment rates, a lack of opportunities, growing social inequality and an education system that is falling short, according to this report. In the research, that explores the hopes and aspirations of young Kenyans, a majority of Kenyan youth feel the country has made progress in recent decades, with 62 per cent of respondents saying they believe their generation’s lives are better than those of their parents’ generation. Young people also see nationality as their strongest source of identity, ahead of family, religion and even ethnicity. Opportunities remain a key determinant of where young people want to live. 71 percent of those interviewed expressed a willingness to emigrate to other parts of the world or of the country in search of better opportunities. Many young Kenyans cite corruption, crime, violence, insecurity and unemployment as some of their key concerns, and believe these problems will become more serious in future due a ‘broken and rigged system’ in the country that doesn’t listen to the voices of young people. Below is a sample of quotes from young people who participated in the in-depth focus group interviews across the country as part of the Next Generation Kenya research: “There is no safety. Because our leaders are corrupt, the whole system is corrupt, meaning that even those people who are supposed to be protecting us like the cops are also corrupt. In institutions like the police, money becomes power.” Female, Nairobi, aged 16. “If you want to be successful in Kenya, you have to give up some morals.” Male, Turkana “Getting people to employ us - it’s like a dream that you will probably die without achieving. Our youths have so much talent- youth need to be given access to employment.” Male, Mombasa. Tony Reilly is the British Council Country Director in Kenya: “We are delighted to be launching the Next Generation Kenya report which gives us an opportunity to listen to the voices and aspirations of young people in Kenya. Kenya’s youth have made their voices heard in this report, and they have spoken clearly about their passion for their country, and their eagerness to contribute to its future. Like young people around the world, they hold strong views and are keen for their opinions to be heard, heeded and acted -1-
upon. And yet there are grave concerns that the education young people are accessing, in increasingly large numbers, may fall short in equipping the next generation with the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed to thrive in the 21st century.” In order to involve young people in the Next Generation Kenya research, the British Council formed a 16-member youth taskforce. Among them were Freddy Mulli CEO and Founder of Youth+ Africa and Jacqueline Mathenge, Chair of Youth Alive Kenya who said: “Next Generation is the story of Kenya’s youth; a story that to this point has been written for us. Now we have the opportunity to write the rest of our story and determine its ending” – Freddy Mulli “The youth bulge in Kenya and the world over has been viewed by governments and wider society as a problem rather than an opportunity. The discourse on youth empowerment and inclusion in itself has remained mere rhetoric over time. The Next Generation Research finally avails the platform for the voice of youth and action by all. In the report, we offer not only our voices around the issues, but also actionable recommendations to address these issues.” – Jacqueline Mathenge Research for Next Generation Kenya comprised a systematic review of the academic literature; focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with young people across the country; and a nationally representative, face-to-face household survey of more than 4,000 Kenyans aged 15–24 from each of the country’s 47 counties. Pete Vowles, Head of the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID)’s Kenya Office said: ‘Working with Kenya’s youth to support the future they want for their country is a priority for the UK’s Department for International Development. I am pleased that, through DFID’s East Africa Research Hub, we have been able to support the ‘Next Generation Kenya’ report launched by the British Council today.’ ‘This research gives a voice to Kenya’s growing youth demographic, providing information on their hopes and aspirations, but also their concerns and fears. Looking to the future, we’re keen to build on this report, to keep the conversation going, but also to ensure our policy making and programming responds to what Kenya’s youth are telling us.’ Notes to Editors: For more information, contact Waihenya Kabiru, 0700415841 or email Waihenya.kabiru@britishcouncil.or.ke or George.kogolla@britishcouncil.or.ke About Next Generation Kenya Next Generation Kenya is a project of the British Council, with co-funding from the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Part of a global series, Next Generation Kenya follows similar British Council Next Generation projects in Tanzania, South Africa, Pakistan, Nigeria, Turkey, Ukraine, Bangladesh and the UK. The overall aim is to listen to and understand the hopes, fears and aspirations of young people in countries experiencing a youth bulge. Next Generation sets out to listen to and amplify youth voices, with the aim of contributing to improved youth policy-making. The overall objective is to support countries like Kenya to harness a demographic dividend from their burgeoning youth population. More information on the research series can be found at https://bit.ly/2H1XXZM About the British Council
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The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We work with over 100 countries in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Last year we reached over 65 million people directly and 731 million people overall including online, broadcasts and publications. We make a positive contribution to the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust. Founded in 1934 we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. We receive 15 per cent core funding grant from the UK government. About DFID’s East Africa Research Hub
The Department for International Development (DFID) is the part of the UK government that manages Britain’s aid to low-income countries and works to eradicate extreme poverty. The East Africa Research Hub sits within DFID’s Research and Evidence Division (RED), and leads on the generation of new evidence through research in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of development interventions aimed at eliminating poverty and reducing vulnerability. The East Africa Research Hub was established in September 2013 and is based in Nairobi with a geographical focus on Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Somalia, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Sudan and South Sudan.
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