Kenya Makes Significant Progress in Youth Empowerment for Peace and Security
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By Victoria Movine
Stakeholders from government agencies, civil society, and youth organizations have today joined forces to enhance youth participation in peace and security efforts by developing a National Action Plan on Youth, peace and security, at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, Nairobi.
The action plan’s agenda is to ensure that young people are central to shaping a more peaceful and united society.
The global movement for youth involvement in peacebuilding gained momentum in 2015, when young leaders from across the world, including Kenya, gathered in Jordan and engaged with the United Nations. Their advocacy led to the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2250, which calls for the inclusion of youth in peace processes.
Kenya’s National Action Plan will focus on five key areas:
Participation – Ensuring youth have a meaningful role in political and decision-making processes.
Protection – Safeguarding young people from harm and exploitation.
Prevention – Engaging youth as partners in peacebuilding, not as perpetrators of conflict.
Partnerships – Promoting collaboration among youth, government, and civil society.
Disengagement & Reintegration – Supporting the reintegration of young people who have been involved in conflict or crime.
Judy Kimono, the Country Director of Search for Common Ground, emphasized the importance of the initiative, highlighting that Kenya’s youth represent the largest demography and are crucial to the nation’s stability and progress. She noted that the National Action Plan will serve as a roadmap to fulfill the aspirations of Kenya’s young population.
This plan is a result of a collaborative effort involving key government bodies such as the State Department for Youth, the National Youth Council, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission, and the National Youth Service. Civil society organizations and youth coalitions are also playing an active role in the process.
With only six African nations having adopted a National Action Plan on Youth, Peace, and Security, Kenya is on track to become the seventh. The goal is to finalize and implement the plan within the next one to two years, integrating peace and security discussions at the national, county, and grassroots levels before the upcoming election cycle.
Additionally, digital engagement platforms will be launched to collect input from young people across Kenya using modern AI tools.
This effort marks a crucial step in Kenya’s journey toward building a peaceful and secure future, reinforcing the role of youth as not just beneficiaries, but essential contributors to sustainable peace.
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