Youth engagement in governance, peace and security in East Africa

This policy brief examines the systemic exclusion of youth from governance, peace, and security in East Africa. Despite comprising over 70% of the population, young people face institutional, cultural, and economic barriers that render their participation tokenistic. The document analyzes regional and national frameworks, highlights the gap between policy and implementation, and provides recommendations for the East African Community (EAC) and partner states to enhance meaningful youth engagement.

• Youth in East Africa are largely excluded from meaningful decision-making, with older leaders dominating key governance institutions such as cabinets, parliaments, and the East African Legislative Assembly. Consequently, young people are often relegated to auxiliary roles or used for mobilization within political party youth wings rather than holding core leadership positions.
• While East African countries have established robust youth policies and frameworks aligned with international standards like UN Security Council Resolution 2250, implementation is weak and accountability mechanisms are ineffective. There is a significant disparity in how youth issues are framed and interpreted across the region, which complicates harmonized monitoring and coordination.
• Youth participation in governance is hindered by institutional, cultural, and economic barriers. These include age restrictions for candidacy, the prevalence of first-past-the-post electoral systems that favor well-resourced established politicians, and cultural gerontocracies that prioritize elder leadership. Economic constraints, such as high unemployment rates exceeding 30% in Kenya and Uganda and high campaign costs—exceeding $50,000 for parliamentary seats in Kenya—further limit access.
• There is a paradox in the security sector where youth are central to conflict dynamics but are excluded from formal peace negotiations and official peace processes. While some youth-led initiatives show success—such as the Kenya Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security (KCYPS) training over 500 mediators and the Tanzania Peace and Youth Development Centre (TPYDC) resolving over 200 disputes—they often lack the resources for full involvement.
• Youth representation in national parliaments varies across the region, with Tanzania (27.6%) and Uganda (24.3%) showing the highest percentages of members aged 40 or younger. Rwanda has achieved 30% youth representation in local councils, though the document notes that centralized governance limits their autonomy.

APA

Minde, N. (2025). Youth engagement in governance, peace and security in East Africa. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1763556039576-policy-brief-208.pdf

Chicago

Minde, Nicodemus. Youth engagement in governance, peace and security in East Africa. Institute for Security Studies, 2025. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1763556039576-policy-brief-208.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{minde2025youth, author = {Minde, Nicodemus}, title = {{Youth engagement in governance, peace and security in East Africa}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2025}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pages/1763556039576-policy-brief-208.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }