Making politics 'fun, trendy, sexy': How Gen Z could shape Kenya's next election

A voter mobilisation campaign in Kenya has registered large numbers of young people ahead of the country's next election, raising questions about how the Gen Z vote could shape the outcome.

The campaign has focused on making political participation more appealing to younger Kenyans, with organisers describing efforts to present politics as "fun, trendy, sexy" in order to draw in a demographic that has often been seen as disengaged from formal political processes.

While the scale of new youth registrations has been notable, it remains unclear which candidates or parties these newly registered voters are likely to support. Analysts and campaigners alike are watching closely to see whether the surge in youth registration translates into a distinct voting bloc or whether young voters will divide along similar lines to the rest of the electorate.

Kenya has a large youth population, and previous elections have seen growing attention paid to how younger voters might influence political outcomes. The current mobilisation effort reflects an attempt to convert youth interest and energy into concrete electoral participation.

The coming election is likely to be closely watched for signs of how effective the youth mobilisation campaign has been in practice.