International Youth Day, 2025
Kenya’s Youth Claim Their Future
This International Youth Day, SHOFCO and the Mastercard Foundation brought youth voices from across Kenya into the heart of national decision-making. From Kibera to Kakamega, from Nyeri to Mombasa, young people declared: We are ready. Are you?
With Us Not For Us
The youth vision is simple: A Kenya where young people are not only consulted, but also trusted. Where youth programs reflect real lives. Where every county sees youth as partners in development - not a problem to be solved, but a power to be unleashed.
2025 marked a turning point. For the first time, International Youth Day (IYD) and the Kenya Devolution Conference converged in the same week — creating a rare platform to connect grassroots youth voices with all 47 county governors and national leaders.
Through Youth Voice Empowerment work, powered by SHOFCO and the Mastercard Foundation, thousands of young people were mobilized to speak, act, and lead. Their message was clear: Kenya’s future must be built with us, not for us.
Youth Voice and Empowerment
SHOFCO’s Youth Voice and Empowerment initiative is an ambitious, five-year effort to open safe youth voice platforms and create real pathways to dignified work and financial inclusion for 2.1 million young people across Kenya’s informal settlements. As the country’s last-mile infrastructure for youth voice, livelihoods, and leadership, SHOFCO operates at a scale and with a grassroots legitimacy no one else can match.
Our partnership with the Mastercard Foundation is catalytic: where others pilot, we scale; where others convene, we organize; where others consult, we mobilize. Together, we are activating youth-led platforms in hundreds of wards and reaching deeply marginalized communities that traditional programs overlook—first-time earners outside the formal economy, youth in border and high-insecurity areas, and young women and men with little voice in governance but deep roots in their communities. This scale and proximity make SHOFCO an indispensable partner to the Foundation, uniquely positioned to drive bottom-up systems change that lasts.
Anchor Partner
Mastercard Foundation
Mastercard Foundation advances learning and promotes financial inclusion to create an inclusive and equitable world. Between 2022-2027, SHOFCO and Mastercard Foundation have taken on the ambitious goal of creating opportunities for 2.1 million young people in Kenya’s informal settlements, placing them in dignified and meaningful work.
Highlights from International Youth Day 2025
A Four-Day National Moment of Youth Power
- Mtaani Youth Exchange Tour: Youth leaders traveled county to county, documenting their realities and solutions through TikTok, Instagram, and blogs.
- Ugatuzi Wall: Thousands of youth messages collected from six counties, demanding real seats at the decision-making table.
- Citizen TV Fireside Dialogue (Aug 10): Youth confronted governors on live national television.
- Roan Half Marathon (Aug 11): Symbolic run uniting youth and county leaders in Homabay.
- National Youth Dialogue & Policy Launch (Aug 12): 500+ youth gathered in Homabay as Governor Gladys Wanga signed the first county-level Youth Policy.
- DevCon Side Event (Aug 13): SHOFCO youth leaders moderated a high-level panel on livelihoods and leadership.
- The Youth Agenda: Highlighted by Governor Wanga in her IYD/DevCon speech, of which the President and Council of Governors were in attendance.
Photo Highlights
The Youth Agenda
The Youth Agenda 2025 is a bold declaration co-authored by youth across the country. It moves beyond token consultation to real policy asks and solutions.
Top Youth Demands
- Recognize and certify youth skills already gained in the informal economy.
- Train youth for today’s jobs, not yesterday’s.
- Bring digital access to every ward.
- Expand fair access to finance and procurement.
- Guarantee IDs and universal health coverage for all youth.
- Institutionalize youth councils with real power and budgets.
- Make youth mental health a right, not a privilege.
“We are not asking for permission to dream. We are demanding the space to build.” – Youth leader, Busia
Commitments & Next Steps
International Youth Day was not just a celebration. It was a turning point where words began to take the shape of commitments. For the first time, governors, senators, and ministers stood side by side with youth and pledged concrete action.
In Homabay, Governor Gladys Wanga signed Kenya’s first county-level Youth Policy, developed in partnership with young people themselves. In Nyeri and Kakamega, leaders promised to establish youth-inclusive councils with real influence over county budgets. In Nairobi and Mombasa, governors committed to mobile ID registration drives to ensure every young Kenyan can participate fully in civic and economic life.
Parliamentarians echoed the call to recognize skills through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) — promising to advance legislation so that welders, artisans, and caregivers can finally be certified for what they already know. Others pledged to expand digital hubs and innovation centers, create simpler tax systems for small youth-led businesses, and fast-track payments on government contracts owed to youth entrepreneurs.
“This is not charity. It is about unleashing potential that has been ignored for too long.” – County Governor, IYD Dialogue
These commitments mark a shift from consultation to co-creation. But promises mean little without follow-through. That is why SHOFCO, together with youth leaders, has launched a Youth Commitment Tracker: a living record of every pledge made, who made it, and by when it must be delivered.
Over the next six months, youth across Kenya will be monitoring, documenting, and speaking out. County by county, they will hold leaders to their word — through local radio, town halls, and social media. SHOFCO will amplify these efforts nationally, reporting back on progress and highlighting wins when they come.
What Comes Next
-
November 2025: First county-level check-ins on commitments.
-
February 2026 (180 days after IYD): A national progress report comparing promises made against actions taken.
-
Ongoing: Public updates through the Youth Commitment Tracker, SHOFCO channels, and youth-led media.
The message is clear: accountability is not optional. Kenya’s youth will not be spectators in their own future.
SHOFCO operates at a scale and with a grassroots legitimacy no one else can match. We hear and understand the youth. The youth trust us.
2m
youth reached through our youth forums, accessing training, livelihood support, and access to finance
75%
Kenyan counties with SHOFCO presence
96%
youth describe influencing county decision-making as difficult or very difficult.
36k
youth with access to finance
20k
youth mental health ambassadors trained
