Youth for Tax Justice Network (YTJN) has partnered with the Manifesto Yetu Initiative to launch university campus consultations across Kenya. The consultations will shape the Kenya Youth Manifesto 2027, a policy framework built by young Kenyans ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
The tour starts at Mount Kenya University and Kenya Methodist University on 16 and 17 July 2026.
Why the manifesto matters
Kenya's youth face a set of overlapping crises. Youth unemployment stands at 67 percent among people aged 15 to 34, more than five times the national average. The informal sector absorbed 703,700 of the 782,300 new jobs created in 2024, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Among employed youth, 35 percent live in extreme poverty despite having work.
Political representation tells a similar story. Young people occupy less than seven percent of elective offices despite making up nearly 75 percent of Kenya's population and 70 percent of likely voters, according to the International Commission of Jurists Kenya.
Debt repayment now consumes 68 shillings of every 100 shillings collected in tax, according to Business Daily. That figure is double the education budget and nearly 15 times the national health budget, leaving fewer resources for the services young people depend on.
