NAIROBI, July 9 (Xinhua) -- As Kenya inches toward its general election slated for August 9, Calvin Kiandu, a student at a college based in the capital Nairobi, has failed to conceal his excitement to vote from his older friends who have voted in the previous election cycles.
"I am starting to annoy them because I keep bringing up the elections every so often. But I am very excited to finally elect the leaders that I desire," Kiandu remarked during a recent interview with Xinhua. Having attained the age of voting some three years ago, this will be the first time Kiandu will be voting in a general election.
Kiandu forms part of the newly registered 8.8 million youthful voters set to decide on the choice of president, members of national and county assemblies during the upcoming polls. Their excitement is palpable.
Kenya is considered a youthful country with those less than 35 years constituting 75 percent of the total population of 48 million people according to official data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
Consequently, the youth are regarded as a significant voting bloc.
"My voting will be guided by the candidate who has outlined ideas that serve my interests such as employment and reasonable taxes for youth-owned start-ups," said Kiandu.
While on their campaign trails, the four presidential candidates including William Ruto, the sitting deputy president, Raila Odinga, once a prime minister and veteran opposition leader, David Mwaure, and George Wajackoya, have laid irresistible promises at the feet of the youth. Among them include sustainable employment opportunities, the establishment of standalone youth ministries and the reservation of youth positions in the two houses of parliament.
"The sheer number of the youth makes them a force to reckon with in any election and they are largely the target of any manifestos and vote mobilization and in fact, some parties are exclusively focused on youth," said Peter Kagwanja, a former government adviser and scholar.
He added that in the past, leaders mobilized for votes along tribal lines sometimes even stoking up ethnic tension but this year's campaigns have been issue-based with the foremost candidates basing their bids on economic liberation.
Terryane Mwende, a 28-year-old Nairobi resident admits to initial apathy towards the elections. However, the disinterest petered out thanks to developments in her child's education. " I have to vote for a better Member of Parliament because the current one nearly cost my child's education last year because of late issuance of bursary, " said Mwende.
Mwangi Gibson Waichari, a candidate running for member of the county assembly (MCA) for Nairobi's Harambee ward said that his first task after making his intention known was to sensitize the masses, especially the youth on the roles of the various electoral seats to inform their voting.
Kagwanja concurs with the 42-year-old politician on voter education stressing the need for robust sustainable civic education.
The Kenyan government has rolled out a national voter education drive for the youth to help them make informed decisions during the August 9 general election. Targeting youth leaders from 10 regions across the country, the exercise aims at creating awareness on the voting processes to build their capacity since majority of them will be voting for the first time. ■