Makutano: Young people in West Pokot County are calling for greater involvement in decisions affecting their lives, increased investment in mental health, and more opportunities to build sustainable livelihoods. The demands emerged during the Annual Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (AYSRHR) Symposium held at Teachers Plaza in Makutano, where young people from different parts of the county shared their experiences and presented their priorities to government representatives and development partners.
According to Kenya News Agency, the symposium, organized by Sikom Peace Network for Development, brought together youth and stakeholders from organizations including Youth for a Sustainable World (YSW), Now and Beyond, Smile and Shine Foundation, Oral Health Mashinani, Vybe Africa, Accelerate, Decleres, Centre for Indigenous Child Rights (CICR), and Stronger Community Organization for Reproductive Equity (SCORE), among others. For the young participants, the gathering was an opportunity to move beyond being consulted and demand a meaningful role in shaping policies, programmes, and budgets that affect their future.
Winnie Cheptoo, Programme Manager at Sikom Peace Network for Development, said the symposium was intended to put young people directly at the table with decision-makers. ‘This is a platform that brings together young people and places them at the same table with the decision-makers,’ she said. Cheptoo said the forum allowed the youth to air challenges they experience at the community level and present their concerns to representatives from different government departments and development organizations.
Mental health emerged as one of the most pressing concerns during the discussions. Alvin Usaji from Now and Beyond said mental health and wellbeing had become an increasing burden among young people, warning that failing to intervene early could have serious consequences. ‘The issue of mental health, if neglected and not curbed at an early stage, will be a problem in the near future,’ Usaji said. He cited reported suicide cases, particularly in Kipkomo Sub-County, as one of the worrying signs of the mental health challenges affecting young people.
According to Usaji, unemployment, social pressure, and the growing expectation among young people to succeed are contributing to the problem. Many young people are educated and skilled but remain unable to secure jobs or opportunities to earn a living. Seeing others appearing to prosper, particularly through social media, can make some feel left behind. Usaji explained that mental health challenges can begin with stress before progressing to anxiety, depression, and, in severe cases, hopelessness.
Some young people, he noted, are unable to discuss their problems with parents or guardians and instead turn to alcohol and drugs or, in the worst cases, contemplate suicide. He called for the county government to strengthen partnerships with organizations working at the grassroots to create safe spaces where young people can speak openly and access counselling and other necessary support. Although the county already has a mental health and wellbeing docket, Usaji urged the government to increase funding and take services closer to communities.
The youth proposed the establishment of more youth-friendly corners and empowerment centres where confidentiality can be guaranteed and young people can access information and services on mental health and sexual and reproductive health. They also called for a clear, independent budget line for youth programmes to ensure resources allocated to them can be easily identified and tracked.
The question of youth participation in governance also featured prominently. Masika Mwinyi, Programmes Officer at YSW, said young people should not simply be invited to meetings as participants but should have an opportunity to influence decisions. ‘The youth should not be involved just as youth, but should be able to make decisions on matters on how to run the society,’ he said. Mwinyi said the youth had prepared a memorandum containing their key priorities and intended to present it to duty bearers.
The memorandum includes calls for increased resource allocation, stronger youth structures, and meaningful participation in county budget-making and policy processes. The young people said they would follow up on the commitments made during the symposium to ensure their concerns do not remain on paper. They argued that young people form a significant part of the county’s population and should therefore be involved in decisions concerning education, employment, health, economic empowerment, and other areas that directly affect their lives.
The youth also raised concerns over teenage pregnancy, early marriage, gender-based violence, and harmful traditional practices, particularly in remote areas. Zainabu Chenangat, a youth from Kacheliba, said rape cases, teenage pregnancies, and early marriages continue to affect young girls. She noted that some survivors receive little emotional or financial support from their families and are forced to deal with their experiences alone.
‘Most of them don’t get support from parents for parental love and affection, but rather they go through it alone,’ she said. Chenangat called for increased community sensitization through schools and public meetings, as well as stronger collaboration between government agencies and NGOs to ensure victims receive support and access to justice. She said some girls continue to undergo harmful practices such as FGM because of fear of stigma, rejection, and discrimination within their communities.
She urged NGOs to follow up cases reported to local administration offices and help vulnerable young people understand and claim their rights. According to the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, West Pokot recorded a teenage pregnancy prevalence of about 36 per cent, placing the county among those with the highest rates nationally. Representing the West Pokot County Government, Chief Officer for Youth Affairs and Social Services Benjamin Kilelan acknowledged the importance of partnerships in reaching young people across the county.
‘We are here to enable our partners to reach all the youth,’ Kilelan said. He highlighted several programmes being implemented by the county, including the recently concluded Youth Week, which brought together young people from across the county to discuss their challenges and make their voices heard. Kilelan said the department was also taking its programmes closer to communities. He cited a recent outreach in Masol Ward, Sigor Sub-County, where 976 girls were reached and sensitized on the dangers of FGM.
He urged boys and men to take an active role in fighting the practice, saying efforts to eliminate FGM require the involvement of the entire community. The Chief Officer also raised concern over increasing school dropouts linked to emerging mining activities in the county. He said some young people were abandoning education to pursue quick financial gains from mining, potentially compromising their long-term prospects.
The symposium brought together several concerns that continue to shape the lives of young people in West Pokot, such as unemployment, mental health, teenage pregnancy, early marriage, gender-based violence, substance abuse, harmful cultural practices, and limited participation in decision-making. The youth said they do not lack ideas or ambition. What they need, they argued, are opportunities, supportive structures, and leaders willing to listen and act.
They called for expanded education and skills programmes, mentorship, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, stronger mental health services, and youth-friendly health facilities. Most importantly, they demanded a meaningful place in the processes that determine how resources are allocated and how policies affecting them are formulated. As the symposium ended, the young people committed themselves to following up on the issues raised and the promises made by government representatives.
Their message was clear, that young people do not want to be treated simply as beneficiaries of development. They want to be partners in shaping it. For West Pokot, turning that demand into meaningful participation could be an important step towards unlocking the potential of a generation that is increasingly determined to have a say in its own future.
