Youth advocates in Kenya are increasingly shaping the country’s response to female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage and teenage pregnancy, issues that have long blighted communities across the country.
Through the Power to Youth programme rolled out by AMREF Health Africa, young people have moved from the sidelines of tokenistic participation to becoming central players in governance, policy reform and grassroots activism.
Launched in 2020, the five-year initiative was spearheaded in partnership with organisations such as NAYA Kenya, Tunaweza Empowerment Organization, Naret Intoyie CBO, Wanawake Wavuvi and Siaya Muungano Network.
Part of a five-county effort supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Trade and Development, the project set out to reduce harmful practices affecting adolescent girls and young women, while also strengthening youth leadership and advocacy.
The programme was implemented in Migori, Kajiado, Homa Bay and Siaya counties, regions that have consistently reported high rates of teenage pregnancies, child marriages and gender-based violence.
In Migori County, the initiative has been instrumental in tackling cross-border FGM within the Kuria communities.
For decades, the Kenya–Tanzania border has remained a corridor for girls being taken across to undergo the outlawed cut.
Speaking in Kisumu during the closing meeting for the project, Vincent Mwita of Tunaweza Empowerment Organization recalled how youth involvement was limited in the past.
“When we started, youths were barely included in governance processes. Participation was tokenistic, often through a single representative.
Today, young people sit in technical working groups, they challenge duty bearers directly and some have even contested for leadership positions,” he said.
Mwita added that the project has changed the dynamics in the handling of cross-border FGM, a move that has seen cases drop significantly.
“With active technical working groups led by the County Commissioner and other state actors, cases have significantly declined. Youth are no longer bystanders. They are champions taking real action to end FGM,” he said.
In Kajiado County, where cultural attachment to FGM and child marriage remains deep-rooted, the project has supported dissemination of the county’s anti-FGM policy and the establishment of the Kajiado South CSO network.
Alice Masinte of Naret Intoyie CBO said the network has provided a united front for advocacy giving impetus to the fight against the vice.
“This network has allowed us to lobby collectively for resources and policies. Recently, we influenced the passage of the Kajiado Gender-Based Violence Policy, which gives us a framework to address cases that have devastated families for years,” she said.
The project has also given rise to youth-led innovations which have redefined community engagement.
According to Enok Chuteri of the Youth Parliament Movement, platforms such as Usika Dada for adolescent girls in Kuria, intergenerational dialogues in Kajiado, and youth-adolescent circles in Migori have created safe spaces for conversations once considered taboo.
“These platforms have given young people the space to question harmful practices, hold leaders accountable, and influence governance,” he said.
In Homa Bay, where teenage pregnancies have remained alarmingly high, the project focused on equipping youth with evidence-based advocacy and human-centred approaches.
Aflin Nyogo of the Homa Bay Youth Parliament said young people were trained to link community realities to budgetary processes and policy frameworks.
“Through mentorship and sexual health education, teenage pregnancies are reducing. It’s not yet perfect, but young people now have the tools to address the root causes together with parents, teachers and community leaders,” she said.
North Ugenya MCA Leonard Adala worked closely with Amref and youth groups to sponsor the Siaya Youth Bill and later the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) Act, making Siaya the first county in Kenya with a comprehensive reproductive and maternal health law.
“Amref supported us to draft and pass the Siaya Youth Bill, and later the RMNCAH Act, which makes Siaya the first county in Kenya with a comprehensive reproductive and maternal health law,” he said.
“The Act also established a dedicated fund to support sexual and reproductive health. These are long-term solutions that will outlive the project,” he added.
Power To Youth Kenya Country Coordinator Dorcas Indalo, said the initiative was a clear demonstration that empowerment works.
“This initiative has shown that when young people are given space, skills and resources, they don’t just participate they lead change in their communities,” she said.
Although FGM and teenage pregnancies have not been fully eradicated, the Power to Youth project, she said has planted seeds of structural and social change that communities hope will endure as the project comes to a close.
Indalo challenged the partner organizations to think beyond the project and develop modalities to take the advocacy and campaign to the next level.
by Chris Mahandara
