Speaking during an interview with a local radio station on Thursday, April 2, 2026, Kioni said the current governance structure remains rigid and often unfriendly to young people who aspire to hold leadership positions rather than merely support established political movements.
He maintained that the constitutional reforms proposed under BBI were designed to expand leadership opportunities and make it easier for a new generation of leaders to rise to power.
“I keep going back to that document called the BBI. It was opening the space. If we had passed it in 2021 or before the 2022 election, it would have been much easier for a Gen Z person now to get into power,” Kioni said.
According to Kioni, the additional executive positions proposed in BBI could have given young leaders more leverage in political negotiations.
“They would have been able to bargain for a proper seat and say we want the deputy prime minister’s position or even the deputy president’s position,” he added.
Kioni criticised Kenya’s political establishment for treating young people largely as a voting bloc rather than recognising their potential as leaders.
“The unfortunate thing about our politics and governance structure is that it doesn’t quite open itself up for young people to move into leadership. Instead, they are often channelled to simply support a political cause,” he said.
His remarks come amid growing political activism among young Kenyans, particularly through youth-led campaigns encouraging greater participation in the democratic process.
Youth-driven civic mobilisation
Recent youth movements such as the Niko Kadi and Tuko Kadi campaigns have been urging young people to participate in politics and register as voters ahead of the next election.
At the same time, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has intensified its voter registration drive in preparation for the 2027 General Election.
The commission says Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), which began in September 2025, will be complemented by enhanced Mass Voter Registration (MVR) campaigns being rolled out to the ward level starting March 2026.
The electoral body is also implementing system upgrades and pre-registration reforms aimed at improving efficiency, reducing congestion at registration centres, and enhancing the overall voter experience—particularly for young and first-time voters.
The upcoming election is shaping up to be a high-stakes contest driven largely by numbers.
The government has indicated plans to mobilise at least 2.5 million new voters during the initial phase of the registration exercise, part of a broader effort targeting the estimated 6.3 million voters expected to join the electoral roll ahead of 2027.
Currently, about 12 million Kenyans possess national identity cards but remain unregistered as voters — a massive untapped voting bloc that political camps are keen to influence ahead of the next general election.
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