Dr Kinity Urges Gen Z To Reject Parents’ Political Choices

By Staff Writer

Human rights activist Dr Isaac Newton Kinity has challenged Kenya’s Gen Z to break with their parents’ voting patterns and use their numbers to shape the outcome of the 2027 General Election.

Dr Kinity says young Kenyans risk prolonging their economic struggles if they allow older generations to continue determining the country’s political leadership.

He accused previous generations of repeatedly voting for politicians on the basis of political experience and leadership credentials, only to later endure the consequences of corruption, unemployment and poor governance.

“Don’t go the way your parents have gone, looking for people with political experience and leadership skills. Because the political experience and the leadership skills they go for are those of looting public funds and grabbing land,” he stated in an address.

The former Kenya Civil Servants Union secretary general said Gen Z should not rely on their parents to make political choices that will ultimately determine their own future.

He said young people should instead acquire identification documents and register as voters in large numbers ahead of next year’s election.

Dr Kinity argued that the older generation has often been swayed by short-term electoral handouts, while young people are left to contend with the long-term consequences of the leaders elected.

“From my history of more than 40 years of my war on corruption in Kenya, I know that the parents have always voted for corrupt politicians in the name of political experience and leadership skills, and they ran for handouts during every election, and that’s where they make the mistakes,” he said.

The activist said the pattern had created a cycle in which voters receive what he described as “one day handouts” during campaigns but spend the following years dealing with the consequences of poor leadership.

He urged Gen Z to turn their numerical strength into political influence by voting out leaders they consider responsible for bad governance.

“Because with the votes that they have to get, they’ll be able to vote out bad governance in Kenya. If they bank on their parents, they’ll continue to suffer the way they have suffered for decades,” Dr Kinity said.

He also questioned the value placed on political experience when voters assess candidates, arguing that experience should not automatically translate into political support.

He claimed that some of the leaders celebrated for their experience had gained it in political systems that allowed corruption and misuse of public resources to thrive.

The activist cited the Anglo Leasing scandal during the administration of former President Mwai Kibaki as evidence that corruption has persisted across successive governments.

Dr Kinity said tackling corruption should be the starting point for addressing Kenya’s wider economic and social problems, including unemployment.

“Because there’s nothing that can be done positively in Kenya without first eradicating corruption. Corruption is the enemy of Kenya. Corruption is what has caused all these problems in Kenya,” he said.

He further called on young Kenyans to move beyond simply participating in elections and consider seeking political leadership themselves.

Kinity said Gen Z has an opportunity to influence both who governs Kenya and the policies that shape their economic prospects.

“Please, Gen Z, I’m appealing to you and I sincerely plead with you to go and get IDs and get votes, so that you can be ready to vote next year and vote for a government that will help you,” he said.

Kinity’s message places the spotlight on the potential influence of young voters in the 2027 election and calls for a generational shift in how Kenyans assess political leaders.

He urged Gen Z to reject what he described as a cycle of political choices driven by short-term benefits and instead use their vote to demand accountable leadership, employment opportunities and an end to corruption.