Establishing youth platforms to amplify youth voices in Machakos, Kenya

We see youth engagement as a true partnership that entails engaging youth from the start of any initiative - from agenda setting and decision-making, to implementation and evaluation – to achieve a shared outcome in development. It is an intentional process that empowers youth with the aim of creating inclusive, accountable and enabling environments where young people’s voices are unified, valued, heard, and acted upon.

We strengthen and support youth platforms at community and national levels to expand conducive spaces for youth leadership, to influence decision making positively, and to expedite the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Use of effective advocacy strategies

The youth in Machakos effectively applied participatory advocacy approaches to secure responses from the government. The approaches included securing places and actively participating in policy development and implementation processes, community-led monitoring, use of petitions as an evidence for youth voice, campaigns, and lobbying key personnel within relevant departments.

Strengthening the representation of the youth platform to amplify voice

The Task Force in Machakos has promoted inclusion and has supported other young people within their county to participate and influence county deliberations on issues of youth unemployment and accessing technical training.

Through a mixture of trainings, mentorship, resource development and forums, marginalised young people have been able to use platforms to enhance their engagement with duty bearers, contribute powerfully in county deliberations helping to push for better accountability and transparency at all levels of government to improve economic and social opportunities.

Outcomes achieved

In addition to the multi-faceted gain from this progressive initiative, some of the successes include are noted below:

• From the lobbying done by the Youth for Sustainable Development (YSD) on technical and vocation education, the Ministers of the County Assembly (MCAs) approved a bill seeking rehabilitation of rural polytechnics to equip youth with technical skills and create more jobs and opportunities. A budget was set aside by the county government and the YSD is continuously following up on the implementation.
• YSD were able to influence Youth Enterprise Development Fund, a government led initiative to make it easier for young people to access their financial products. They were also able advocate for a youth representative (the deputy of YSD) to sit in the county budget and economic forum and influence the County Integrated Plans and the Annual Development Plans. The youth representative coordinated and collected youth views on the budgeting process through public participation and use of Social Accountability tools. She also represented Machakos County in the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) workshop which developed strategies for curbing crime and enhancing youth and community empowerment in the county.
• YSD organized the first agribusiness conference in collaboration with other organizations in Machakos through which 180 youth entrepreneurs showcased their business and the county government committed to have this as an annual event during the international youth week and to sponsor 20 youth to showcase in the Agricultural show of Kenya.
• As a result of YSD active contribution in bridging the gap between youth and the county government, they were able to mobilise other stakeholders and were sponsored by Caring Hands to take part in Toastmasters International classes where they were trained on public speaking and leadership.
• Together with other YSD chapters, the youth network has been promoting volunteerism as an effective youth engagement pathway contributing to the official recognition of it by the government. In recognition of the value of volunteerism in the country, a budget of 50 million Kenyan Shillings (about USD 500,000) was allocated under the Ministry of Education for developing country volunteering policy and to set up structures at county level.
• VSO supported active youth members from the YSD Network to represent Kenyan youth and share their advocacy experience and learning to youth networks across the globe during the Global Youth Economic Opportunities Forum in 2020, taking the engagement of the youth network to the next level.

Impact on the lives of youth

The programme has allowed young people in Machakos to meaningfully engage with duty bearers and key stakeholders to voice their concerns, propose alternate solutions, and to advance their economic opportunities.

As a result of the task force’s effective representation, marginalised young people in Machakos, including those with disabilities, vulnerable girls, and those who would not have been able to fight individually for good governance, were supported, mentored, coached, and better accessed financial resources, skills and economic opportunities. There has been improved service delivery in the Machakos specifically for youth around access to quality Technical Vocational Education and Training that translated to acquisition of relevant skills for the job market.

The youth within the taskforce have developed personally and their assets and capabilities through the different capacity building opportunities and advocacy experiences. This has been evidenced through their proactive advocacy for inclusive and accountable government responses to protect highly marginalised communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This work is funded by UKAid under the ‘Volunteering for Development’ programme which seeks to improve access to basic services and opportunities, increase the agency of extremely poor and vulnerable people and build their resilience to the shocks and stresses that threaten their advancement from poverty.