{"id":3478,"date":"2026-10-03T11:55:25","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T11:55:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailykenya.co.ke\/?p=3478"},"modified":"2026-10-03T11:55:25","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T11:55:25","slug":"kenyan-youth-demand-bigger-role-ingovernance-digital-economy-at-ncck-convening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailykenya.co.ke\/index.php\/2026\/10\/03\/kenyan-youth-demand-bigger-role-ingovernance-digital-economy-at-ncck-convening\/","title":{"rendered":"Kenyan Youth Demand Bigger Role inGovernance, Digital Economy at NCCK Convening"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"975\" height=\"650\" src=\"https:\/\/dailykenya.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3480\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dailykenya.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image.png 975w, https:\/\/dailykenya.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/dailykenya.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-768x512.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 975px) 100vw, 975px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Photo Caption: More than 250 young Kenyans gathered in Nairobi for a five-day forum focused on governance, innovation, livelihoods and the growing digital economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>By Benard Mulwa<br>NAIROBI, Kenya \u2014 Young Kenyans are demanding a bigger seat at the<br>table in the decisions shaping the country\u2019s political and economic future,<br>as more than 250 youth gathered in Nairobi for the 4th NCCK National<br>Youth Convening.<br>Held from September 21 to 25, 2026, at Ufungamano House, the five-<br>day forum brought together young people under the theme \u201cClaiming<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Space, Shaping Kenya\u201d, with discussions centered on governance,<br>innovation and livelihoods.<br>Organized by the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), the<br>convening sought to give young people a platform to define the issues and<br>priorities affecting their generation rather than simply responding to<br>agendas developed elsewhere.<br>\u2018Claiming space\u2019 in national affairs<br>A central message emerging from the gathering was that young Kenyans<br>want to move beyond being viewed as recipients of government<br>programmes and development initiatives.<br>Participants called for more meaningful and active involvement in national<br>governance, saying young people should have a stronger voice in decisions<br>that affect their economic opportunities, communities and future.<br>The discussions reflected growing interest among young Kenyans in taking<br>an active role in shaping public policy and the direction of the country.<br>The theme, \u201cClaiming Space, Shaping Kenya,\u201d captured the focus of<br>the convening: creating room for young people to articulate their own<br>priorities and participate directly in shaping Kenya\u2019s future.<br>Digital economy takes Centre stage<br>The country&#8217;s rapidly expanding digital economy was another major area of<br>discussion.<br>Participants explored the opportunities presented by technology and digital<br>platforms, particularly in relation to employment, entrepreneurship,<br>innovation and livelihoods.<br>Among those supporting calls for greater youth participation was Canon<br>Chris Kinyanjui, who has highlighted the need for young people to play a<br>more active role in governance and the digital economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The discussions placed the digital economy within the broader question of<br>how Kenya can create sustainable opportunities for its youthful population.<br>From discussion to networking<br>The five-day programme was not limited to policy discussions.<br>Participants also took part in panel discussions, cultural performances and<br>networking sessions, providing opportunities for young people from<br>different backgrounds to exchange experiences, build connections and<br>discuss possible solutions to challenges facing their generation.<br>The combination of policy dialogue and cultural engagement was designed<br>to strengthen connections among participants while encouraging them to<br>view themselves as contributors to Kenya&#8217;s social and economic<br>development.<br>Youth agenda takes Centre stage<br>Unlike forums where young people are presented with a pre-formulated<br>agenda, the NCCK convening placed emphasis on allowing participants to<br>identify and discuss their own priorities.<br>That approach put governance, innovation and livelihoods at the heart<br>of the gathering, while giving young Kenyans space to discuss the<br>opportunities and challenges they face.<br>The event comes as youth participation remains an important issue in<br>Kenya&#8217;s national conversation, particularly around economic opportunities,<br>digital innovation and involvement in public decision-making.<br>By bringing more than 250 young people together, the NCCK convening<br>sought to turn that conversation into a platform for dialogue, networking<br>and agenda-setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the gathering closed on September 25, its central message remained<br>clear: young Kenyans want not only to be heard, but to participate in<br>shaping the decisions that will define the country&#8217;s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photo Caption: More than 250 young Kenyans gathered in Nairobi for a five-day forum focused on governance, innovation, livelihoods and the growing digital economy. By Benard MulwaNAIROBI, Kenya \u2014 Young Kenyans are demanding a bigger seat at thetable in the decisions shaping the country\u2019s political and economic future,as more than 250 youth gathered in Nairobi [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailykenya.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailykenya.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailykenya.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailykenya.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailykenya.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3478"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailykenya.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3481,"href":"https:\/\/dailykenya.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3478\/revisions\/3481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailykenya.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailykenya.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailykenya.co.ke\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}