MP Njeri Maina rallies Gen Z, calls for organised youth power and voter registration

Speaking on Friday, January 16, during the flag-off of a sanitary towel distribution at Kiamaina Primary School under her Tupange Kesho empowerment programme, Maina said Kenya’s youth are the most informed generation the country has ever produced but continue to be excluded from decision-making and opportunity.

“You are told you are the leaders of tomorrow, yet today you are locked out. You are told to be patient while corruption eats away your future,” she said, noting that young people’s anger is rooted in awareness and injustice rather than laziness or entitlement.

The Woman Representative urged Gen Z to move beyond outrage and channel their energy into structured action, emphasising that sustainable change can only come through organisation and participation in democratic processes.

“Anger without direction burns out. Silence kills dreams. Outrage alone is not enough. We must organise, build movements, form cooperatives, and take economic power seriously,” she said.

Maina challenged young people to take advantage of their numerical strength, noting that youth make up more than 60 per cent of Kenya’s population yet remain largely excluded from national budgeting and development planning. She called on them to register as voters, mobilise their peers, and use social media platforms to demand accountability from leaders.

“Register as voters, canvass, take over social media platforms. Speak, question, and demand integrity and transparency in leadership,” she said.

Maina, who was accompanied by Kirinyaga Senator Kamau Murang’o, Embu Senator Aspirant Billy Mwangi and other local politicians, reiterated the urgent need for intentional budgeting for sanitary towels, saying that girls’ dignity and education must be treated as national priorities.

“This year, we shall not pass the budget unless it includes a clear and deliberate allocation for sanitary towels,” she said.

The Tupange Kesho empowerment program targets all 200 Junior Secondary Schools in Kirinyaga County, reaching 19,725 girls. A total of 88,900 packets of sanitary towels—equivalent to 1,108 bales, with each bale carrying 80 packets—will be distributed across the county.