Dialogue on Kenya's National Interest, Devpt. Choices and Youth Agency with Amb. Okara| CMD Kenya

What is Kenya’s national interest? Who gets to define it? Are our institutions delivering it? And what role should young people play in shaping the Kenya of tomorrow? Join the Centre for Multiparty Democracy Kenya (CMD Kenya) for an intergenerational conversation examining some of the fundamental questions shaping Kenya’s democratic and developmental future. Kenya’s journey, from independence and the struggle for sovereignty, through the Second Liberation and the adoption of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, has been shaped by generations confronting questions of nationhood, governance, development and how power is exercised in the interests of citizens. Yet, despite the recognition of the national interest within Kenya’s constitutional framework, there remains a need for a deeper national conversation on what that interest means, whose voices should define it, and how it should guide the country’s political, economic and institutional choices. This conversation will draw from ideas advanced in Reclaiming Our Sovereignty: A Position Paper on Kenya’s National Interest, developed by the Kenya National Interface Team (KNIT), which proposes key national interests including human dignity, economic sovereignty and prosperity, security, livelihoods and social welfare, environmental sustainability, democratic governance, devolution and accountability, and the protection of Kenya’s cultural heritage and history. Our main interlocutor, Amb. Eng. Julius Okara, a co-author of Reclaiming Our Sovereignty and member of KNIT, will engage young leaders in a candid fireside conversation on the choices Kenya makes today and the implications for future generations. The dialogue will explore three central questions: 🔹 WHAT SHOULD KENYA’S NATIONAL INTEREST BE? What does sovereignty mean in the lived realities of Kenyan citizens? Who should have a voice in defining the national interest? 🔹 ARE OUR INSTITUTIONS DELIVERING THE NATIONAL INTEREST? How do political and electoral cycles influence long-term development priorities, institutional continuity and national decision-making? 🔹 WHAT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE NEXT GENERATION? How can young people move beyond being viewed only as beneficiaries or electoral constituencies to become active participants in policy formulation, development planning, political leadership and institutional accountability? The conversation will bring together young leaders and diverse voices to question, reflect on and build upon ideas about Kenya’s democratic and developmental trajectory.