Long before the recent youth-led protests in Kenya that defied ethnic loyalties, there existed Wanjiku Kihika, popularly known as Ciku.
She is behind Tribeless Youth, a Nakuru-based initiative started in 2016 to promote co-existence among young people, particularly by addressing ethnic divisions and bad governance.
In the past decade, it has grown from Nakuru to operate in seven counties. Why start Tribeless Youth?
“For the longest time, if you think about Nakuru and Rift Valley in any general elections, the first thing I used to hear is that your name betrays you and there would be violence, and there was no room for young people to have a conversation on election or their preferred candidates,” says Wanjiku.
"Tribeless Youth is an anchor where young creatives can sit together and decide what their future would look like politically."
Tribeless Youth, therefore, was started to engage young people in meaningful conversation that feeds into national government policies. Wanjiku named her organisation Tribeless in an effort to break the barriers of tribalism in Kenya.
Young people pushing for dialogue and reconciliation converted the initiative into a platform for discussing good governance, confronting tribalism and shaping the future.
“Tribeless Youth is an anchor where young creatives can sit together and decide what their future would look like politically,” stated Wanjiku, who witnessed the bloody post-election violence of 2007/2008 where 1,200 people died.
She urges people to look at tribe from the diversity of culture, saying Tribeless Youth is engaging young people through creative art, music, and sports.
It has an impressive community online and has physically reached out to more than 500,000 young people, she estimates.
There is a breakthrough in the seven counties it has a footprint as more young people are coming out to demand their democratic space and good governance.
Tribeless Youth ensures women and other marginalised groups such as the disabled become part of the organisation.
-Francis Mureithi