Barriers to Campaign Fund Accessibility among Youth Aspirants Participating in General Elections in Kenya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t4406Abstract
Youth participation in elective politics in most countries is widely recognized as one of the key pillars of democracy that ensure the needs and aspirations of the youth are incorporated in the decision making. However, despite the youths being majority of the population, they remain underrepresented in elective political leadership. A situation that is further exacerbated by the prohibitive cost of campaigning, as Kenya’s general elections are among the most expensive general election in Africa; a factor likely to impede their electoral success. It in this backdrop that study sought to examine whether party financial support and candidate fundraising capacity influence campaign fund accessibility among youth aspirants participating in general elections in Kenya. The study was theoretically anchored on the resource mobilization and elite theory. A descriptive research design was employed, targeting a population of 12,454, from which a sample of 372 was determined through cluster sampling. The data employed a semi-structured questionnaire to gather primary data, which was descriptively and inferentially analysed. The study yielded mixed results, with some variables manifesting significant influence while others showing weaker influence. In particular, the study found out that though most political parties in Kenya have made numerous efforts to lower financial entry barriers to youth aspirants through subsidized nomination fees; this intervention has failed in solving broader campaign funding needs of youth aspirants. Moreover, the research established that direct campaign funding by the parties is erratic and inequitable; with incumbents being preferred more than the young aspirants left politically and financially vulnerable. Another notable finding is that though most youth aspirants recognize the significance of digital and crowdfunding in broadening youth campaign funding; still there exist noticeable variance in digital skills. The study recommends training of aspirants on crowdfunding, digital campaign funding, donor relationship management and encouraging joint campaigning among aspirants.
Keywords: Youth campaign funding, youth political participation, innovative campaign funding
References
Albert, Z., Boatright, R., Cuthbert, L., Eichen, A., Erve, W., Raja, R., & Rolfe, M. (2024). Election reform and campaign finance: did Alaska's top 4 nonpartisan primaries and ranked choice general elections affect political spending? Social Science Quartely, 105(5), 1668-1690. doi:10.1111/ssqu.13422
Arriola, L., Choi, D., Davis, J., Phillips, M., & Rakner, L. (2021). Paying to party: candidate resources and partying in new democracies. Party Politics, 20(10), 1-14. doi:10.1177/1354068821989563
Barman, S. (2026). Shaping India's future: factors influencing youth participation in electoral politics. Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research, 13(2), 120-126.
Bekker, M., Runciman, C., & Roberts, B. (2022). Beyond the binary: examining dynamic youth voter behaviour in South Africa. South African Journal of Political Studies, 49(4), 297-317. doi:10.1080/02589346.2022.2151687
Bolin, N., Backlund, A., & Jungar, A. (2023). Attracting tomorrow's leaders: who joins political youth orgamizations for material reasons. Party Politics, 29(3), 527-539.
Booysen, S. (2015). Strengthening participation of young people in South Africa's electoral and democratic processes. Freedom House.
Bouton, L., Cage, J., Dewitte, E., & Pons, V. (2022). Small campaign donors. NBER Working Paper.
Broberg , N., Pons, V., & Tricaud, C. (2025). Spending limits, public funding and electionoutcomes. Massachusetta, US: National Bureau of Economic Research. doi:10.3386/W29805.
Buscato, F., Entong, J., & Bacang, A. (2024). Youth and elections: exploring mobilization and participation influences. Journal of Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 2(6), 55-67.
Currie-Wood, R., & Pruysers, S. (2023). Putting their money where their mouth is: the gendered dynamics of central party financial transfers local election candidates. Impact Factor, 31(1), 176-186. doi:10.1177/1354068823120889.
Derksen, N., Falconi, F., Jayme, S., & Worsech, C. (2018). Increasing youth voter turnout. London, UK: London School of Economics and Political Science.
Halcoussis, D. (2024). Impact of opponents' rece, gender and party on US congressional fundraising. Social Science Quartely, 105(3), 544-556. doi:10.1111/ssqu.13369.
Hassan, S., & Minja, D. (2024). Youth participation and political governance in Mandera County, Kenya. International Academic Journal of Arts and Humanities, 1(4), 339-361.
Hicken, A., Aspinall, E., Weiss, M., & Muhtadi, B. (2022). Buying brokers electoral handouts beyond clienteism in a weak-party state. World Politics, 74(1), 77-120. doi:10.1017/S0043887121000216.
Ibternational Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. (2015). Youth participation in electoral processes: new roles for African electoral management bodies. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA).
Inter-Parliamentarian Union. (2023). Youth participation in natiional parliaments: 2023. Geneva, Switzerland: Inter-Parliamentarian Union.
Inter-Parliamentary Union. (2025). Youth participation in national parliaments: the voices of young MPs. Geneva, Switzerland: Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Kariuki, P., Khambule, I., Oluwatoyin, L., & Mkhize, M. (2021). Youth participation in electoral politics in South Africa: trends, and patterns. Democracy Development Programme.
Madueke, O., & Enyiazu, C. (2025). Electoral integrity and election management in Nigeria: the case of the 2023 general election. World Affairs, 188(1).
Nofriansyah, D., & Aryansah, J. (2026). Political participation of the young generation in the 2024 regional head elections in Lubuklinngau city. Indonesia Journal of Multidisciplinary Sciences, 4(2), 142-152. doi:10.59066/ijoms.v4i2.2263.
Office of the Registrar of Political Parties. (2026). Annual Report 2024/2025. Nairobi, Kenya: Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP).
Pankaj, P. (2025). Navigating challenges and opportunities: youth representation in Indian pARLIAMENT. Internal Institute for Ppulation Science. doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.35619.98087.
Parakh, D. (2020). Representation of youth in electoral politics: analysis of Indian election systems. Journal of Politics and Governance, 8(2), 43-59.
Put, G., Maddens, B., & Muyrtes, G. (2022). Sources of campaign funding for incumbents versus challengers in list proportional representation systems: the case of Colombia. International Political Science Review, 44(3). doi:10.1177/0192512122108071.
Put, G., Muyters, G., & Maddens, B. (2020). The effect of candidate electoral experience on ballot placement in list proportional representation systems. West European Politics. doi:10.1080/01402382.2020.1768664.
Ridhoh, M. (2025). Youth, electoral politics and political dynasties in Indonesia. International Journal of Pedagogy and Social Studies, 10(1), 29-42.
Sandeep, P. (2026). Participation of youth in electoral politics in India. International Journal of Sociology and Political Science, 8(2), 42-44.
Schuster, S. (2020). Does campaign spending affect election outcomes: New evidence from transaction level disbursement data. The Journal of Politics, 82(4). doi:10.1086/708646.
Snelling, C. (2015). Young people and electoral registration in the UK: examining local activities to maximise youth registration. Parliamentary Affairs, 69(3), 663-685. doi:10.1093/pa/gsv054.
Stockemer, D., & Anla, B. (2024). The political representation of young adults: explaining youth's underreprsentation in parties, candidacies and parliament. Electoral Studies, 90.
Stockemer, D., & Sundstrom, A. (2022). Youth without representation: the absence of young adults in parliaments, cabinets and candidacies. University of Michigan Press.
Stockemer, D., Thompson, H., & Sundstrom, A. (2023). Young adults' under-representation in elections to the US house of representatives. Electoral Studies, 81.
Sudulich, L., Trumm, S., & Makropoulos, I. (2024). Running uphill: a comparative analysis of the gender gap in campaign financing. European Journal of Political Research, 64(3), 1371-1393. doi:10.1111/1475-6765.12741.
The Electoral Commission. (2026). Young people views on politics and voting . London, England: The Electoral Commission.
The Oslo Centre. (2025). The status of youth inclusion in political parties: a research report on youth political accountability in Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya: The Oslo Centre.
UNDESA. (2024). World population prospects 2024. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
UNDP. (2017). Youth participation in electoral nprocesses: handbook for electoral management bodies . New York, US: United Nations Development Program.
UNDP. (2025). Youth, political participation and decision-making. New York, US: United Nations Development Programme.
United Nations. (2022). Be seen; be heard: understanding young people's political participation. Geneva: United Nations.
United Nations. (2025). Youth 2030: a global progress report. Geneva, Switzerland: United Nations.
