Safina Deputy Leader Willis Otieno says Kenya’s Gen Z political awakening has disrupted traditional political structures and could fundamentally change how candidates are judged in the 2027 General Election.
Otieno says a generation of young Kenyans has become more assertive in demanding accountability, constitutionalism and better governance, with growing expectations that political leaders should provide practical solutions to economic challenges rather than rely on personalities, political loyalties and large rallies.
“Kenya’s Gen Z has demonstrated remarkable courage in demanding accountability, constitutionalism and a better future. Intimidation, arbitrary arrests and repression may frighten individuals, but they cannot extinguish a generation’s demand for dignity and justice,” he took to his X account on Tuesday.
His remarks come against the backdrop of growing youth engagement in Kenya’s political and civic affairs, particularly since the Gen Z-led protests of 2024, which brought issues including the cost of living, taxation, public spending and government accountability to the centre of national debate.
The youth have also emerged as a significant electoral constituency. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission says people aged 18 to 34 accounted for about 40% of registered voters in the 2022 General Election, although youth registration declined compared with 2017. The electoral body attributed low youth participation partly to perceptions that votes did not count, lack of trust in the political system, unemployment and poverty.
Otieno says the political awakening has gone beyond electoral participation, arguing that young Kenyans increasingly see themselves as active participants in shaping governance.
“History teaches us that ideas rooted in freedom are difficult to silence. Every young Kenyan who peacefully defends the Constitution strengthens the democratic foundations of our Republic. Fear can suppress a voice for a moment. It cannot erase an idea whose time has come,” he said.
The Constitution protects the right of citizens to participate in political parties, campaign for political causes and take part in free and fair elections. It also guarantees adults the right to register as voters, vote and seek elective office without unreasonable restrictions.
Otieno believes these constitutional rights are increasingly being asserted by a younger generation that is less willing to accept traditional political narratives without questioning them.
“I believe 2027 will test Kenyan politics in a different way. The Gen Z awakening has disturbed the old political machinery and changed what many citizens expect from those seeking power.”
The Safina Deputy leader maintained that the change was particularly evident in the issues young voters were prioritising, arguing that political competition was gradually shifting from personality-driven campaigns towards performance and measurable policy proposals.
“The centre of gravity has moved from personalities to performance, from political theatre to economic reality, from inherited loyalties to questions about evidence, delivery and accountability.”
The shift could have implications for political parties as they prepare for the 2027 election, particularly those that have traditionally relied on ethnic, personality or patronage-based mobilisation.
Otieno elaborated that young Kenyans were increasingly questioning political slogans and demanding evidence that proposed policies could improve their lives.
“A generation has discovered that citizenship is not spectatorship. Once people begin interrogating the numbers behind the slogans, they cannot easily be taken back to the old script.”
He acknowledged that candidates would therefore face pressure to move beyond campaign performances and present detailed plans addressing the country's economic challenges.
“The message from young Kenyans is becoming unmistakable: Bring us a blueprint, not a performance,” Otieno said.
The 2022 election recorded a turnout of about 64.8%, down from 78% in 2017, according to IEBC material. The commission has also noted an emerging interest among younger voters in economic reforms over traditional political allegiances.
Otieno maintained that the cost of living, public debt, taxation and employment would be among the issues that could define the next election.
“2027 will be less about who can command the biggest crowd and more about who can explain how Kenya will lower the cost of living, manage its debt, create decent jobs, reform taxation and expand productive capacity.”
He maintained that the changing expectations represented a new political environment in which voters were increasingly concerned with the direct impact of government policies on their lives.
“The political thermometer has changed. Kenyans are increasingly asking not just, ‘Who is your candidate?’ but, ‘What will your government actually do for my life?’ That is a very different election.”