Shadrack Nyakoe
By Njeri Irungu
NAIROBI, Kenya – 4 August 2025
The government has officially launched National Youth Week 2025, setting the stage for a week-long celebration of young people’s contributions to Kenya’s development and their central role in achieving the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Speaking at Talanta Plaza in Nairobi, Principal Secretary for the State Department of Youth Affairs and the Creative Economy, Mr. Fikirini Jacobs, delivered a stirring address that called for a paradigm shift in how the country engages with its youth.
“Young people are not asking to be included as a favour, they are demanding inclusion as a right,” Jacobs told a gathering that included government officials, development partners, and youth leaders. “They are asking for accountability. For opportunities. For dignity. And for us, the duty bearers, to finally match our policies with action.”
This year’s theme, “Empowering Local Youth Action for Global SDG Impact,” underscores the importance of grassroots-led solutions that feed into Kenya’s broader development agenda while contributing to international goals. Jacobs emphasized that across villages, towns, campuses, and creative spaces, young Kenyans are already building transformative change.
“They are feeding families through innovation in agriculture, healing communities through mental health activism, driving peace in times of unrest, and creating jobs through digital economies,” he said. “Our responsibility now is to create an enabling environment where this potential is seen, supported, and scaled.”
As part of the celebrations, the government is rolling out regional youth-led activities in seven counties, focusing on entrepreneurship, digital skills, gender equality, environmental sustainability, and the creative economy. These engagements are designed not only to spotlight youth innovations but also to foster meaningful intergenerational dialogue.
One of the week’s most anticipated highlights is the National Youth Prayer Day, scheduled for Sunday at the International Youth Fellowship (IYF) Grounds. Described by Jacobs as a “sacred moment,” the event will serve as a national pause to reflect, heal, and unite under the leadership of the country’s young people.
The prayer day and broader week-long programme are being coordinated by the State Department in collaboration with multiple state agencies, including the National Youth Council, Kenya Film School, Youth Enterprise Development Fund, Kenya Film Classification Board, the President’s Awards-Kenya, and the ICGLR Regional Youth Forum Secretariat. Jacobs noted that these institutions are now working in concert rather than in silos to center youth in the national agenda.
“To our young people: we hear you. We see you,” the PS declared. “You are no longer waiting in the corridors of opportunity. You are walking through the door. And we, as your government, are opening wider doors for you.”
As National Youth Week unfolds, the message is clear—Kenya’s youth are not bystanders in the country’s progress, but its co-drivers. And the government, Jacobs vowed, is committed to walking with them every step of the way.
