Young Voices Lead the Way as Kenya Prepares to Launch Its First Youth, Peace and Security Plan

Across Kenya, a new generation of young peacebuilders is quietly transforming how communities understand security, dialogue, and leadership. As the country moves toward launching its first National Action Plan (NAP) on Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS), young voices are no longer waiting to be invited to the table; they are building it. 

From informal settlements in Nairobi to rural counties such as Bungoma and Laikipia, youth, particularly young women, are leading conversations, mediating conflicts, and shaping inclusive policies that prioritize safety, dignity, and participation. The YPS agenda, anchored in UN Security Council Resolution 2250, has inspired a wave of activism across Kenya. 

UN Women has been supporting this momentum through sustained technical accompaniment to youth-led platforms and national stakeholders, helping ensure that the emerging YPS National Action Plan is inclusive, gender-responsive, and grounded in young people’s lived realities. The emerging National Action Plan on YPS will give this momentum a concrete policy framework. But long before government endorsement, young people have been doing the work: building trust, creating platforms for dialogue, and bridging divides across communities. UN Women’s role has been to help translate this grassroots leaders\hip into policy and programming by offering technical expertise, reviewing key draft sections of the NAP, and supporting the development of YPS concept notes that elevate youth priorities, especially those of young women.

Although Kenya has made progress under the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda, young people continue to face exclusion from meaningful participation in peace and governance spaces, despite being among the most affected by conflict and insecurity. The forthcoming YPS National Action Plan signals a shift toward intentional inclusion, aiming to ensure youth leadership is recognized, supported, and fully integrated into national peace and security processes. Through its technical support, UN Women has been advocating for strong provisions that institutionalize youth participation and address the specific barriers faced by young women in peace and governance spaces.

For Christine Odera, Co-Chair of the Kenya Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security (KCYPS), peacebuilding began early. Growing up alongside refugee students from South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo sparked her interest in understanding conflict. After studying international conflict, she committed herself to ensuring that youth voices would be heard in policy and governance. 

Through partnerships with government institutions, civil society and women-led networks, she has helped embed youth perspectives into development plans, community safety initiatives, and peace processes. Most recently, Christine has supported youth consultations across the country that informed the drafting of Kenya’s first YPS NAP, ensuring the plan reflects the experiences and aspirations of diverse young people. UN Women has accompanied these efforts by providing technical input to KCYPS and other stakeholders during the NAP drafting and review process, helping strengthen the plan’s gender analysis and responsiveness to youth realities.

Similarly to Christine, fellow Co-Chair of KCYPS, Felix Orwaka, found his calling through lived experience. Raised in Nairobi’s informal settlements, he saw insecurity, poverty, and mistrust divide communities. These difficult realities inspired his journey into youth empowerment and peacebuilding. Through the Upcoming African Youth Organization, Felix has led dialogues between youth, community elders, and police in hotspots such as Mathare and Laikipia. These engagements have improved trust and encouraged young people to take leadership roles in resolving disputes before they escalate. His work has also supported thousands of young people and women with livelihood and leadership skills, helping build resilience in communities affected by violence and economic instability.

In Bungoma County, the commitment to peace is equally strong. Young activist and community organizer, Mirriam Nafula, has seen firsthand the consequences of political tensions, unemployment and limited opportunities for rural youth. In response, she began facilitating safe spaces where young people could discuss local issues and learn how to advocate peacefully for change. These informal meetings soon grew into community dialogues involving local officials and traditional leaders. Through the Bungoma Governance and Peace Network, Mirriam has trained youth in mediation, peaceful petitioning, and conflict-resolution skills. She has also used social media and community radio to spread awareness about peace and rights-based advocacy in local languages, helping to reduce the likelihood of street protests turning violent. Today, young people in Bungoma are increasingly represented in peace committees and public participation forums, strengthening accountability and inclusion.

Despite their efforts, all three youth leaders describe similar challenges. Youth-led peacebuilding initiatives remain under-resourced, limiting their reach. Civic space is shrinking, threatening meaningful engagement between citizens and the state. Many young people, especially young women, face cultural stigma, harassment, and gender-based discrimination when they attempt to participate in governance. Online abuse and political intimidation also discourage youth from speaking out. These obstacles underscore the need for long-term investment and protection of youth peacebuilders.

Still, progress is evident. National institutions have begun to recognize the unique contributions that youth bring to peace and governance. Consultations and stakeholder dialogues held across the country demonstrate a growing commitment to ensure that the YPS National Action Plan reflects grassroots perspectives. The plan is expected to help strengthen partnerships, support youth-led initiatives, and provide avenues for funding and training. More importantly, it offers the possibility of institutionalizing youth participation in national peace and security structures. With continued technical support from UN Women and partners, the NAP can also help operationalize gender-responsive youth participation, moving from commitment to implementation.

For Christine, what matters most is shifting how society views young people. “Youth should not be seen as the problem or as passive beneficiaries,” she insists. “They are co-creators of peace.” Felix agrees, adding that peacebuilding becomes credible only when young people are trusted with decision-making power. Mirriam believes that rural voices, especially young women, must be recognized as part of Kenya’s peacebuilding fabric. She envisions a future where women and youth are systematically included in local decision-making spaces, from land governance to community dialogues.

Their work demonstrates a powerful message: that peace is not built through policy documents alone. It is crafted through relationships, understanding, and the courage to lead. From Mathare to Bungoma, young people are already doing the work. The National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security offers Kenya a historic chance to recognize, resource, and expand these grassroots efforts.

UN Women aims to consolidate the technical support already being provided, through NAP review, concept development, and sustained engagement in YPS spaces, so that youth-led peacebuilding is institutionally backed and adequately funded. If Kenya continues to invest in and partner with its young leaders, the next generation of peacebuilders will not only transform their communities, but the nation.