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Challenges Affecting Youth Participation in Governance: A Case of Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya

Received: 28 May 2022     Accepted: 15 June 2022     Published: 27 June 2022
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Abstract

County governance can be improved by catalyzing youth participation at the local levels. This research sought to gauge the status of governance in the counties. This study was guided by the theory of Positive Youth Development. The study adopted a case study research design. The study was carried out in Tharaka-Nithi County. The target population of the study was 393,177, the adult population of the county, and the accessible population (N) was 3,698, which was the youth population in the county that is politically active. From this, a sample of 36 was selected purposively. Among them, 28 were interviewed using focus group discussions, and 8 participants used key informant interviews to give in-depth information on youth participation in governance. The focus group discussion guide and interview schedule were the instruments of data collection. The instruments were given to colleagues for validation. Qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic content analysis approach with the help of MAX. Qda software. The findings of this study are of importance to the policy practitioners and county government officials in their bid of enhancing youth participation in governance.

Published in Journal of Public Policy and Administration (Volume 6, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.jppa.20220602.16
Page(s) 100-104
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Governance, Accountability, Policy, Civic Engagement

References
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[5] Bialostocka, O. L. G. A. (2019). A culture-sensitive youth policy for Kenya.
[6] European Youth Forum. (2020). Youth Participation. Retrieved 18 October 2020, from https://www.youthforum.org/participation
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[10] Hope Sr, K. R. (2012). Engaging the youth in Kenya: empowerment, education, and employment. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 17 (4), 221-236.
[11] Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, (2020). 2019 Kenya Population And Housing Census Results - Kenya National Bureau Of Statistics. [online] Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Available at: https://www.knbs.or.ke/?p=5621 [Accessed 10 March 2020].
[12] King, E. (2018). What Kenyan youth want and why it matters for peace. African Studies Review, 61 (1), 134-157.
[13] Mutua, E., Bukachi, S., Bett, B., Estambale, B., & Nyamongo, I. (2017). Africa’s Youth Employment Challenge: New Perspectives.
[14] Mutuku, C. M. (2011). Youth perspectives on their empowerment in sub-Saharan Africa: The case of Kenya (Doctoral dissertation, University of Nairobi.).
[15] Ngigi, S., & Busolo, D. N. (2019). Devolution in Kenya: the good, the bad and the ugly. Public Policy and Administration Research, 9 (6), 9-21.
[16] Ogbonnaya, T. V. Role of Youths in National Development in Ikwo Local Government Council, 2015-2020.
[17] Oosterom, M. (2018). Youth Engagement in the Realm of Local Governance: Opportunities for Peace?
[18] Sambo, W. (2016). Factors affecting youth entrepreneurship development within Kibera, Kenya: the perspective of entrepreneurship education. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 14 (2-2), 2-2.
[19] Smith, A., Marks, C., Novelli, M., Valiente, O., & Scandurra, R. (2016). The links between equity, governance, education and peacebuilding in Kenya.
[20] Thuo, J., (2020). Challenges Facing Kenyan Youth | Study In Kenya. [online] Studyinkenya.co.ke. Available at: https://studyinkenya.co.ke/blog/challenges-facing-kenyan-youth [Accessed 10 March 2020].
[21] United Nations Youth. (2020). YOUTH, POLITICAL PARTICIPATION AND DECISION-MAKING. Retrieved 18 October 2020, from https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/documents/youth/fact-sheets/youth-political-participation.pdf
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Lumadede Japheth, Vengi Ambrose, Nzioka John. (2022). Challenges Affecting Youth Participation in Governance: A Case of Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya. Journal of Public Policy and Administration, 6(2), 100-104. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jppa.20220602.16

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    ACS Style

    Lumadede Japheth; Vengi Ambrose; Nzioka John. Challenges Affecting Youth Participation in Governance: A Case of Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya. J. Public Policy Adm. 2022, 6(2), 100-104. doi: 10.11648/j.jppa.20220602.16

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    AMA Style

    Lumadede Japheth, Vengi Ambrose, Nzioka John. Challenges Affecting Youth Participation in Governance: A Case of Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya. J Public Policy Adm. 2022;6(2):100-104. doi: 10.11648/j.jppa.20220602.16

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  • @article{10.11648/j.jppa.20220602.16,
      author = {Lumadede Japheth and Vengi Ambrose and Nzioka John},
      title = {Challenges Affecting Youth Participation in Governance: A Case of Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya},
      journal = {Journal of Public Policy and Administration},
      volume = {6},
      number = {2},
      pages = {100-104},
      doi = {10.11648/j.jppa.20220602.16},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jppa.20220602.16},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jppa.20220602.16},
      abstract = {County governance can be improved by catalyzing youth participation at the local levels. This research sought to gauge the status of governance in the counties. This study was guided by the theory of Positive Youth Development. The study adopted a case study research design. The study was carried out in Tharaka-Nithi County. The target population of the study was 393,177, the adult population of the county, and the accessible population (N) was 3,698, which was the youth population in the county that is politically active. From this, a sample of 36 was selected purposively. Among them, 28 were interviewed using focus group discussions, and 8 participants used key informant interviews to give in-depth information on youth participation in governance. The focus group discussion guide and interview schedule were the instruments of data collection. The instruments were given to colleagues for validation. Qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic content analysis approach with the help of MAX. Qda software. The findings of this study are of importance to the policy practitioners and county government officials in their bid of enhancing youth participation in governance.},
     year = {2022}
    }
    

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    AU  - Lumadede Japheth
    AU  - Vengi Ambrose
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    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jppa.20220602.16
    AB  - County governance can be improved by catalyzing youth participation at the local levels. This research sought to gauge the status of governance in the counties. This study was guided by the theory of Positive Youth Development. The study adopted a case study research design. The study was carried out in Tharaka-Nithi County. The target population of the study was 393,177, the adult population of the county, and the accessible population (N) was 3,698, which was the youth population in the county that is politically active. From this, a sample of 36 was selected purposively. Among them, 28 were interviewed using focus group discussions, and 8 participants used key informant interviews to give in-depth information on youth participation in governance. The focus group discussion guide and interview schedule were the instruments of data collection. The instruments were given to colleagues for validation. Qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic content analysis approach with the help of MAX. Qda software. The findings of this study are of importance to the policy practitioners and county government officials in their bid of enhancing youth participation in governance.
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Author Information
  • Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Tharaka University College, Marimanti, Kenya

  • Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Tharaka University College, Marimanti, Kenya

  • Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Tharaka University College, Marimanti, Kenya

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