Kenya is working to establish a national chapter of the Youth in Agrifood Systems in East Africa (YASE) platform to bring together fragmented youth groups and strengthen their participation in agricultural development.
The proposed chapter will provide a coordinated mechanism for young people, engaged in agriculture and related value chains to influence policy decisions, access economic opportunities and contribute to the transformation of the agrifood sector.
Kimathi Githachuri, Youth in Agribusiness Programme Advisor at the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat, said the initiative was conceived after young people from the region called for a common platform to amplify their voices and improve their representation.
Speaking during a national capacity-building workshop in Nairobi on the CAADP Kampala Declaration, the Regional Agri-Food Systems Investment Plan (RASIP) 2026–2035 and youth empowerment in agrifood systems, Githachuri said the fragmented nature of existing youth groups had limited coordinated advocacy and engagement with policymakers.
He said about 185 young people from the eight EAC Partner States met at a regional expo in December last year and called for an apex body through which they could collectively advance their interests.
The EAC Secretariat subsequently initiated the process of establishing YASE, whose structure has been validated by the Partner States and endorsed by their Ministers of Agriculture during a meeting of the Sectoral Council on Agriculture and Food Security in July.
The regional platform will comprise 24 representatives, with each partner state nominating two youth representatives from the private sector aged below 35 years and one government representative.
Githachuri said national chapters would provide the foundation for regional representation, bringing together existing youth organisations and initiatives rather than duplicating their work.
The platform will address gaps in skills development, access to economic opportunities, resilience to shocks, and meaningful youth representation in policy processes.
Charles Lusweti, Head of the Youth in Agriculture Unit at the Ministry of Agriculture, said Kenya had made progress in developing frameworks to engage young people but needed stronger coordination to maximise their contribution to the sector.
He identified agro-processing, value addition and market access as key areas, where young people could build viable enterprises and create jobs.
Lusweti said the government was also seeking to reduce the import bill by increasing domestic production of commodities such as edible oils, with crops including sunflower, sesame and canola offering opportunities for youth-led enterprises.
Young people could also participate in agricultural input distribution, farmer advisory services and other value-chain activities supported by digital technology, he added.
Lusweti said about 10,000 youth agripreneurs were already using digital tools to provide advisory services to farmers, demonstrating how technology could expand youth participation in agriculture.
He welcomed the proposed YASE Kenya chapter, saying a coordinated platform would help the government and private sector identify young agricultural entrepreneurs, understand their needs and direct support towards viable enterprises.
The ongoing workshop is expected to help stakeholders develop the organisational and governance structures for Kenya’s national affiliate, including mechanisms for selecting representatives to the regional platform.
The YASE Platform initiative launched by the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat in partnership with AGRA is designed to centralise and enhance youth participation across the eight EAC Partner States, namely Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, Somalia and the DRC, in transforming the regional agrifood sector.
By Wangari Ndirangu
