A presidential hopeful has urged Kenyan youth to reject manipulation by politicians and instead seek leadership positions, saying Gen Z must actively participate in governance and contest elective seats ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Human rights activist Dr Isaac Newton Kinity warned that Kenyan youths have repeatedly been mobilised during election campaigns only to be abandoned once politicians secure power and return to governance.
The National Vision Party candidate said young people must reject exploitation by political actors who use them as campaign tools before discarding them after elections, leaving them struggling through the rest of the five-year political cycle.
“Without the eradication of corruption in Kenya, the promises that are being provided by the Kenya politicians in their campaigns are a practical impossibility, lies, and they will never be realized,” Dr Kinity said.
The counsellor and human rights campaigner formally declared his candidature for the presidency on March 7, 2026, outlining an agenda focused on tackling corruption and addressing youth unemployment and the rising cost of living.
He said corruption has entrenched itself within governance structures for decades, arguing that development promises by politicians resemble attempts to fill water into a bottomless bucket without first eliminating corruption.
Dr Kinity pledged that if elected president he would drastically address unemployment and economic hardship affecting millions of young Kenyans struggling to secure opportunities after completing their education.
“I will reduce unemployment by 40 percent in two years, I will reduce the cost of living by 40 percent in two years, and by the end of five years there will be negligible youth seeking jobs,” he said.
The presidential hopeful further promised to eradicate corruption within two years of assuming office, insisting that he would resign from the presidency should he fail to achieve that target.
He also encouraged young Kenyans with integrity and transparent leadership values to contest for elective positions including Members of Parliament, senators, governors and Members of County Assembly in the 2027 General Election.
Dr Kinity argued that youths should stop believing their only role in society is mobilising support for politicians accused of looting public funds, urging them instead to pursue leadership roles themselves.
Gen Z should not allow to be misused by corrupt politicians during campaigns only to be dumped in the cold for the rest of the five-year term until the next election season,” he said.
Dr Kinity also pledged to honour Gen Z protesters who died during the 2024 demonstrations by constructing a national monument at Parliament where their names will be permanently displayed.
He said the monument would recognise the sacrifices made by young Kenyans who lost their lives during protests while advocating for accountability and justice in the country.
The presidential aspirant promised that families of those killed and individuals injured during the protests would receive compensation under his administration in recognition of their sacrifice.
“I promise that as president of Kenya I will erect a monument at Parliament where the names of all Gen Z who lost their lives in 2024 will be written for permanent record,” Kinity said.
Dr Kinity further pledged to revisit the history of the Mau Mau freedom fighters and ensure surviving veterans and their families are compensated by Britain for injustices suffered during the independence struggle.
He said the monument would also honour older generations of patriotic Kenyans who fought for the country’s freedom and those injured while defending justice and democratic ideals.
According to Dr Kinity, educating young people about patriotism and national sacrifice is essential to building a generation capable of safeguarding Kenya’s future from corruption and misgovernance.
The chairman of the Kikimo Foundation for Corruption and Poverty Eradication also criticised political leaders for alternating between government and opposition positions while perpetuating corruption networks.
He claimed Kenya has never experienced a clean administration since independence in 1963, arguing that successive governments have been tainted by corruption scandals that shaped today’s political leadership.
Dr Kinity also cited historical corruption cases including the Anglo Leasing scandal, which he said nearly cost the life of former governance and ethics official John Githongo during his whistleblowing efforts.
He urged Kenyan workers, farmers, business leaders and investors to unite in rejecting corrupt leaders, warning that continued recycling of the same political actors will prolong suffering across the country.
The former Secretary General of the Kenya Civil Servants Union maintained that meaningful change in Kenya will only be realised when corruption is decisively eradicated from governance and public institutions.