Abstract
Purpose: This study focused on socio-economic factors influencing youth participation in community based projects in Wajir County. Specifically the study was anchored on the following specific objectives; Level of Education, Governed policy and Cultural practice
Methodology: The researcher adopted a descriptive survey design. The study focused the on 900 registered youth groups operating across Wajir County. Simple random sampling Technique was employed to select the study sample. A sample of 171 respondents participated in the study. Data was collected by use of questionnaires distributed via drop and pick method. Quantitative data was scrutinized by use of descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics included mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentages. The data was presented in form of tables, graphs, and pie charts. Correlation analysis was used to expose the strength of the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. Regression analysis was employed to expose the relations relationship between the level of Education, Governed policy and Cultural practices and youth participation in community development projects in Wajir County, Kenya
Results: Results highlighted a significant positive relationship between the dependent variables and the independent variable. Specifically, the study revealed that; Education is the biggest and the most sustainable catalyst towards youth participation and inclusion in community projects; Age for obtaining ID; Patriarchal social systems and lack of political good are the major setbacks of youth involvement in community development projects; Cultural practices such as FGM, ‘Negotiated democracy’ are anti-youth progress thus, responsible for the low youth participation in community development projects; On the contrary the study found that the youth in Wajir county affirmed themselves as a change force unlike their elders view
Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: the study recommended that; both the national and county governments work together towards the global goal of universal education; that the Government relooks on the Age of obtaining ID’s with a view to lowering the number of years required. This is to give the youth identity thus securing an earliest opportunity to participate in both economic and democratic processes such as elections promoting youth inclusion. The government should up its game on advocacy in regard to youth inclusion and in development.