ODM youth demand a bigger role in party decisions as Alionya assumes leadership.

ODM youth demand a bigger role in party decisions as Alionya assumes leadership.

Roseline Alionya, who is assuming the ODM Youth League presidency, addresses the press at Chungwa Headquarters in Nairobi, where she called for greater youth participation in party decision making, policy formulation and leadership.

By Jeff Oyugi

Nairobi - September 23, 2026

Young members of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) have renewed calls for greater participation in party decision making, urging the political outfit to move beyond using young people as campaign crowds and instead give them meaningful roles in policy formulation, leadership and grassroots organisation.

Speaking during a youth engagement, Roseline Alionya, who in the remarks presented herself as assuming the ODM Youth League presidency, said young people must transform their role within the party from supporters and mobilisers into policy contributors, researchers, communicators and leaders.

“We must move from being spectators and supporters to becoming thinkers, policy contributors, researchers, communicators, and leaders in our own right,” Alionya said.

She said the country’s young population was facing a range of challenges, including unemployment, the rising cost of living and limited opportunities, arguing that the youth should not only highlight their problems but also develop practical solutions.

“We must rise above simply highlighting the problems, and we must become a generation that proposes solutions,” she said.

Alionya challenged ODM and other political parties to rethink how they engage young people, saying youth should not only be sought when political parties require numbers during campaigns and rallies before being excluded from crucial decisions.

“As a party, we cannot only invite young people when we need numbers, and forget them when decisions are being made,” she said.

She proposed a youth movement centred on ideas, talent and leadership, with young people participating in conversations on party policies, manifestos, campaigns and the country’s future direction.

The remarks come as political parties begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 General Election, with youth participation expected to remain a major component of grassroots political mobilisation.

Alionya said young people must also challenge stereotypes that portray them as political goons, instead demonstrating their ability to provide leadership in county assemblies, Parliament, businesses, institutions and research organisations.

“The transformation will require our discipline, change of character, competence, integrity, and a commitment to service,” she said.

She said the ODM youth constituency was diverse, bringing together graduates, school leavers, young entrepreneurs, job seekers, university and college students, professionals, creatives, activists and young people living in informal settlements.

According to her, the party needed deliberate mechanisms to identify and nurture talent among its young members, including debaters, mobilisers, researchers, photographers, videographers, writers, bloggers and digital communicators.

“These are an asset that our party needs ahead of the 2027 election,” she said.

Alionya also called on young ODM members to take responsibility for strengthening the party instead of waiting for nominations, appointments and other opportunities.

She urged them to participate in voter registration, party membership recruitment, civic education, policy discussions and grassroots organisation while observing the law.

“We must also ask, what are we giving to the party?” she posed.

She further called for transparent, credible and accessible nomination processes for young people seeking elective positions, saying participation should be made easier for youth aspiring to political office.

She announced plans for youth consultations, county by county outreach, campus and college engagements, grassroots registration exercises as well as policy and leadership forums aimed at creating space for young people to contribute to the party’s manifesto and policy agenda.

Alionya also demanded greater consideration of young people in the distribution of political opportunities, saying youth should have a defined share of national and county opportunities arising from political arrangements after elections.

“We will look for the votes. We will ensure we are registered as voters and as members of the political party. But also, the party must promise us that when the discussion on sharing of opportunities, the percentage of young people should also be higher than the percentage of the elderly,” she said.

Other youth leaders echoed the call for a stronger voice in the party.

Agogo Mukare said young people should be central to conversations around policies and institutions, arguing that meaningful political power must include measures that empower youth and marginalised communities.

Derek Otieno meanwhile, framed the gathering as a call to strengthen ODM rather than undermine it. He urged the party to address an ongoing dispute over the leadership of its youth wing and called for adherence to the party’s constitution.

“We are not here to break the table, but we are here to arrange the table, because we love ODM,” Otieno said.

He added “This time around, we are not going to be on the menu. We are going to be on the table, arranging matters affecting youth and how youths are going to be helped. We are not political tools anymore.”

The leadership question remains contested. While the speakers in the document presented Alionya as assuming the Youth League presidency, ODM’s official leadership page currently lists John Ketora as its Secretary for Youth Affairs and Youth League leader.

The differing positions underline the importance of the youth leaders’ demand for clarity and internal processes as the party prepares for the next electoral cycle.

For Alionya, however, the broader objective is to make young people active participants in ODM’s present and future.

“You are not merely the future of ODM, you are part of the present of ODM,” she told young people across the country.

The message from the youth leaders was therefore twofold: young people must take greater responsibility for building their party, while ODM must create genuine space for them to influence decisions, shape policies and occupy leadership positions.