Webinar Recap: Community-led Organising for Sustainable Development – The KCDF Story
April 23, 2025
Celebrating a Decade of Impact: Change the Game Academy at 10 Years
April 24, 2025“When youth are empowered with the right tools, they don’t just speak—they lead.”
At the core of Makueni County, a quiet transformation is taking shape—one led not by seasoned politicians or civil servants but by passionate, informed, and empowered youth. The forefront of this movement is the Makueni Youth Network (MYN), a community-based organisation supported by the Giving for Change programme, funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands through the Wilde Ganzen Foundation and implemented locally by KCDF.
From Disengagement to Leadership
For years, youth in Makueni felt sidelined in governance processes due to numerous hurdles such as limited prioritization of youth contribution in the decision-making spaces, lack of financial to facilitate their meaningful participation, politically-targeted mobilization during key policy discussions, and lack of feedback after participating in public forums. The MYN recognised this disconnect and decided to act. The “Youth Leading Change” initiative trained young people to engage in the county’s budget and expenditure cycles, and supported them financially to attend in large numbers in the decision-making spaces, giving them a voice and a method to be heard.
As a result, during this year’s elections of community development committees, which starts from cluster to ward level, MYN supported 30 grassroots youth-led groups to attend the elections and nominate their own, and over 40 youths have been appointed to various community development committees, including critical sectors like agriculture, climate change, and governance. Besides, at the ward level, the county government of Makueni has set aside 60 slots for co-option: 30 for CSOs and the remaining 30 for religious leaders. Through good working relations with the department of Devolution, MYN lobbied the 30 slots for CSOs and they were granted. This represents a fundamental shift: youth are no longer mere participants—they are shaping policy.
Coaching Future Accountability Champions
The transformation didn’t happen overnight. Once hesitant and underrepresented, youth leaders like Mue Ndeto, Coordinator at the Makueni Youth Network, were given the tools and confidence to step up. After undergoing training under the Change the Game Academy on Advocacy and Policy Influencing, Ndeto and others delivered a compelling five-minute pitch that earned him a seat on youth sector working group. The journey of Makueni Youth Network symbolises what’s possible when local talent meets opportunity and mentorship.
Pushing for Structural Change
Beyond participation, MYN has influenced structural reforms. They have challenged the county’s top-down public participation approach, advocating for forums at the sub-ward level—an accepted and implemented demand. Their advocacy also led to releasing the County Fiscal Strategy Paper, which highlighted budget transparency and questioned unexplained expenditure reductions.
Sustainable Progress and Next Steps
The journey continues. Makueni Youth Network is working to institutionalise its financial practices, having recently onboarded a finance-trained graduate to improve documentation and compliance. Meanwhile, their collaborative spirit, with partners like Africa’s Voices Foundation, remains a pivotal point of their success, ensuring community voices influence governance.
The Makueni Youth Network’s story is more than a project update. It proves that when young people are given space, skills, and support, they change their lives and counties.
#Communitydevelopment #Communitiesofpractice #YouthEmpowerment
