From real-time budget tracking to 30% youth quotas, Kenya’s young generation lays out a bold plan to fix counties — and they’re not asking for permission.
NAIROBI, Kenya .
Kenya’s Gen Z activists have launched a “Devolution Manifesto” outlining their vision for county governance, rejecting tribal politics and demanding transparency, youth inclusion, and innovation driven budgets.
The manifesto calls for tribeless governance, with county jobs, contracts, and opportunities awarded based on merit, not ethnicity.
“Talent over tribe, skill over surname,” it states.
It also demands digital accountability, with every county expenditure tracked in real time through online dashboards accessible to the public.
“No more ghost projects or cooked audit reports — if you spend it, we must see it,” the document reads.
On youth representation, the group proposes that at least 30% of all county boards, committees and project leadership roles be filled by people under 35, citing Gen Z’s tech skills and fresh ideas.
Counties, they say, should dedicate part of their budgets to youth-led start-ups, innovation hubs and climate-smart solutions, arguing that prosperity requires investing in future creators.
The manifesto also calls for citizen oversight with enforcement power, where public opposition to a project due to corruption or irrelevance would automatically halt it.
“We are not asking to be included in county governance , we are claiming our rightful place in shaping it,” the statement declares.
“Devolution must work for the people and by the people, or it will remain just another broken promise in Kenya’s political history.”
Ends.
