蜜芽传媒

As the Kenyan presidential race gathers pace ahead of the election on the 9th of August, candidates recently made their case in a televised debate.

Critics have said the presidential hopefuls are keen to connect with the large proportion of the country's younger voters, many of whom will be looking to a candidate they believe can better the economy.

The election comes at a time when the country is grappling with a high cost of living and high rates of unemployment among young people.

Nerima Wako is the CEO of Siasa Place, an organisation which strives to get Kenya's young people more involved in politics.

She told Newsday that many young people feel as though the presidential candidacy has been dominated by candidates with the the money to run, which leaves other independent candidates out of the race because they lack the money and resources. This in turn may deter some young to vote, she says.

She told Newsday, "Youth have said in some of our engagements, that if they see someone that they feel they identify with, they would turn up to vote, but now for some of them, they felt forced, because an individual was put on the ballot that they didn't quite support, and there was no fair process. And we do see that older men do have more access to capital, and our elections have become more expensive. So this election has been a free for all, it's an open game, and of course it leaves the rich to be able to afford to be able to run. "

Photo: Kenya's Deputy President and presidential candidate William Ruto Credit: Yasuyoshi Chiba / Getty Images)

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