Migrant Youth as Climate Change Agents: A case of Bungoma, Kenya

Kenya is currently grappling with a significant demographic challenge known as the youth bulge, where a staggering 80% of its population falls below the age of 35. This demographic reality has given rise to a pressing issue: youth unemployment in Kenya has soared to alarming levels, reaching as high as 35% compared to the national unemployment rate of 10%. Many young individuals are compelled to leave their rural homes and seek employment or business prospects in urban regions because of lack of employment opportunities within the rural areas prompting internal migration, particularly from rural to urban areas. This rural-urban phenomenon can be traced back to the colonial era, during which internal migration was tightly regulated by colonial practices that aimed to control the movement of male labourers seeking work in newly established white settlements. However, following Kenya's independence many people continued to move to urban areas seeking better economic opportunities. Today, 30 percent of Kenyans reside in urban areas, marking a significant shift in the country's demographic landscape in which a majority of Kenya's population will be concentrated in urban centres.

By the year 2045, the total population is projected to double, but the urban population is expected to more than quadruple, reflecting a remarkable urbanization trend.

In recent times, climate change has emerged as a major catalyst for migration worldwide. The consequences of climate change, such as escalating temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, more frequent extreme weather events, and rising sea levels, have had profound impacts on livelihoods and living conditions, particularly in developing countries like Kenya. The impacts of these circumstances have had a disproportionate effect on the youth residing in rural areas of Kenya, where agriculture, specifically crop cultivation and livestock rearing, serves as the most dependable source of income. It is worth noting that the agriculture sector in Kenya employs approximately 40% of the country's population, with a significant majority of about 70% of this 40 percentage being workforce residing in rural regions. The agriculture sector presents an immense potential for creating employment opportunities, particularly for the youth. By harnessing young peoples’ potential there can be secure livelihoods for both the present and future generations.

However, most Kenyan youths prefer to migrate from rural areas to urban areas for better opportunities. The dream of a more fulfilling life is often recognised in migrating to towns or peri-urban areas for better opportunities. Some also opt to stay in the urban areas after tertiary or higher level. Unfortunately, for many, staying at home is not always an option as climate change has made their rural homes hostile. The lack of employment and entrepreneurial prospects in economically stagnant rural areas also increases the already precarious situation contributed by climate change. Not only are these opportunities limited, but they also fail to provide adequate remuneration and are characterised by substandard working conditions. 

The situation is worsened by the perception of agriculture as a last-resort career, characterised by tedious work and limited financial rewards. The issue of customary land tenure system has also reduced the land acquisition for youths. About 90% of land in Kenya is under customary land tenure system which is mostly influenced by parents passing on the land to adult men who have married hindering acquisition of land by young men who are not yet married and most women do not acquire land from parents even when married. Land challenges for youth means limited channel for youth to practice improved agricultural techniques such as planting higher yielding crops, hybrid seeds, temperate tolerant birds, resistant crops or other advanced investments such as green development programmes for example establishing green houses for reduced gas emissions and promoting other sources of livelihoods.

In Bungoma, for example inconsistent rainfall patterns have increased drought, pests and diseases which have reduced crop production such as beans, maize, sorghum, vegetables and death of livestock as well as chicken. Young people have thereby migrated from rural areas to urban areas for economic opportunities in towns. Many of the youths complain of lack of diverse opportunities in the villages and limited access to productive land that can promote higher yielding. Before migrating to urban areas, youths usually save for migration journeys and rent, look for job opportunities or training programmes that can initiate migration. Upon migrating, young women more often do not wish to return to their original homes as compared to married young men, who are likely to return to their villages. When asked about international migration, less than 38% of youths in Kenya are willing to migrate out of the country and considered the United States of America (USA), often influenced by positive social media views such as Facebook and traditional media including Television and Radio about great opportunities outside the country. 

Kenya has addressed youth issues and economic growth through different funds such as the Youth Empowerment Funds and Women Enterprise Funds. However, many youths complain about longer access to the funds compared to the other financial institutions, limited budget of funds provided, bureaucracy within the government institutions as well as slow disbursement. Equity of land access for both women and men is addressed through the Constitution 2010 and the Land Act 2012. Yet issues of traditional laws of young women and young men owning farmland from the parents is still a challenge. The urban attraction of youths is unlikely to abate in the near future, depriving the rural areas with youths’ skills and ideas for innovative development. In order to address these issues, it is imperative for policymakers and stakeholders to prioritize the creation of innovative opportunities in rural areas, reducing the over-reliance on agriculture. Additionally, efforts must be made to mitigate the effects of climate change through:

• Formation of ventures targeting land right advocacy for youths such as providing youths with reduced land prices, reducing the years of acquiring customary land and allowing better sharing of land as well as following-up on the implementation of the Land Act (2012) which allows young women and young men to acquire land even when unmarried.
• Increasing training of youths in rural areas on climate friendly and disaster risk reduction strategies as well as providing advanced agricultural machinery that can improve agricultural production.
• Engaging youths on projects and programmes focused on fostering social and economic green skills and financial literacy.
• Building private-public partnership in providing individual or youth groups with subsidized/ free hybrid seeds, funds and training.
• Involving the youth in climate change and disaster reduction leadership for understanding youth issues and solutions.

Gorrety Yogo is an early career researcher on Migration and Development theme with a focus on policy influencing through Research, Capacity building and Training. She has gained experience in cross-cutting issues on migration and development such as labour migration, forced displacement, gender, youth and livelihoods, human trafficking and Smuggling of Persons, business and entrepreneurship as well as international, regional, and national policies and laws on migration and development. Within her years of experience she has supported the write-ups of various literature reviews, Policy briefs, concept notes, blogs and reports at the African Migration and Policy Development Centre. She has been featured on the Migration and Inclusive African Growth (MIAG) website through her blog ‘’Migration and inclusive growth through the lens of Kenyan migrants’’ which provides a process of internal migration in Kenya. She currently submitted the ‘Opening a Conversation on Reflexivity and African women migration researchers’ with her three other co-authors at JEMS journal for publication. Currently, she is jointly working on chapters of the Migration and Inclusive Growth book and other academic blogs and journals. Gorrety enjoys writing, self-care and compassion during her personal time. She has self-published lots of note-books on self-care and one book on youth development on Amazon.

This article is part of the IOM Blog Series: Youth Voices on Migration, Environment and Climate Change