By Something subtle started to change in the previous general election- one that political analysts largely overlooked. The young voters, particularly those below 30 years, began to switch off the old political scripts. Not by clamour or by assault, but by peaceful opposition at the polls.
Kenyan politics has been founded on ethnic groupings and generational allegiances over the decades. Voting patterns were transmitted through families as heirlooms. However, in 2022, you could feel that something different is brewing. Youth were posing more difficult questions on university group chats and Instagram stories, and even around dinner tables: “Why would I vote for someone simply because my parents do?” or “What exactly has this person done for people like me?”
These were not groundless grumble-complaints. They were the indications of a generation that began to redefine the meaning of being politically loyal.
A Personal Revolution
This change is not dramatic or like street protests, it is subtle. A good number of the young Kenyans still go to family meetings; they still nod their heads when political discussions are made and some even put on the party t-shirts. But on the day of voting, they decide themselves- and never mention it again.
It is a silent revolution. No signs, no orations. Simply a increasing number of people who would not obey inherited allegiances.
It is not that this generation is more radical. They are simply more independent. Their loyalty does not come automatically; they must be earned.
Online Does Not Imply Disconnected
It is tempting to think that youth are too busy looking at their screens to care. Yet sophisticated political concepts are now being disseminated, discussed, and simplified on platforms such as TikTok, X, and even WhatsApp.
Budget critiques, county level governance failures and other such issues are how young Kenyans are making short videos and memes a form of political literacy. They are informal- yet they have serious intentions.
A Look at What 2027 Will Be Like
With such a trend, Kenya could have in 2027 a less predictable, more issue-based, and difficult-to-manipulate voter base. Political parties which relied on inherited support might be caught unawares by a generation which rewards performance over rhetoric.
But this is not merely about young people “demanding change.” It is the manner in which they are doing it, deliberately, digitally and at their own time.
It is my belief that the politicians that will triumph in the year 2027 will not be the ones with the most boisterous campaigns but the ones that will realize that the silence of the young people is not apathy, it is tactics.
