Matiang'i: 2027 election should be about young people occupying leadership

Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has called on young Kenyans to step forward and actively pursue leadership positions ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Speaking during the Kenya Anglican Youth Organization (KAYO) Conference at St. Thomas Cathedral in Kirinyaga County on Saturday, Matiang’i urged the youth to move beyond rhetoric and take up decision-making roles across all levels of governance.

“I want to encourage you young people, let us now occupy positions. Let’s not just talk about occupying the spaces we have been occupying,” he said.

“The 2027 General Election should be about young people occupying leadership at all cadres so that you make the changes that you desire and the changes that you would like to see in your country.”

The presidential candidate emphasised that Kenya’s future hinges on how effectively it integrates young people into leadership and development processes, warning that sidelining their voices could stall national progress.

“Our nation cannot afford to overlook the aspirations, talents, and voices of its youth,” he noted, in a subsequent social media post.

“Yet today, many young people feel excluded from opportunities and decision-making spaces that directly shape their future. That must change.”

He called for deliberate efforts to empower the youth through inclusion, investment, and access to opportunities, framing it as a critical pathway to sustainable national development.

“I firmly believe that meaningful progress lies in empowering our youth, through opportunity, inclusion, and deliberate investment in their potential,” he added. “Kenya’s future will be defined by how well we support and uplift this generation.”