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Between October 2025 and January 2026, the Women and Youth in Democracy Initiative (WYDE) Political Parties Pillar supported a comprehensive capacity development process in Kenya aimed at strengthening internal training systems within political parties and enhancing the leadership capacities of Women and Youth Leagues.

Implemented by the Christian Democratic International Center (KIC) in partnership with The Oslo Center, the initiative focused on institutionalising sustainable Internal Training Units (ITUs) within six political parties: Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), Wiper Patriotic Front (WPF), Jubilee Party, Kenya African National Union (KANU), United Democratic Alliance (UDA), and Democracy for the CitizAZSXens Party (DCP).

From Manual Development to Institutional Capacity

The process combined two interlinked components:

• Development and review of Women and Youth League Training Manuals
• Training of Trainers (ToT) and cascade trainings at party level

While some parties had previously developed training materials, others required full manual development. Through tailored, party-specific workshops, Women and Youth League representatives worked to review, update or develop training manuals aligned with current political realities and internal party priorities.

This approach ensured ownership, contextual relevance, and sustainability — allowing each party to embed inclusive leadership and mentorship frameworks within its own structures.

Strengthening Existing Party Training Structures

Building on internal efforts already underway within each political party, the initiative supported the consolidation and strengthening of Women and Youth League training structures.

Through dedicated workshops and peer learning exchanges, women and youth representatives refined their leadership, mentorship and communication skills, while further developing practical training tools adapted to their respective party contexts.

This approach helped formalise or strengthen Internal Training Units across the six participating parties and approximately 180 participants, ensuring that leadership development can continue organically within party structures.

Institutionalising Sustainable Leadership Pipelines

The pThe initiative goes beyond one-off training. It is designed to embed structured, internal capacity-building mechanisms within party systems, ensuring that women and youth are not only mobilized during electoral cycles but systematically supported as leaders.

The ToT model now enables trained party members to cascade knowledge at county, constituency and ward levels — creating durable pipelines of informed and prepared women and youth leaders ahead of the 2027 electoral cycle.

The activities also generated clear recommendations, including continued cascade trainings in 2026, formal validation and launch of training manuals, structured mentorship systems, and targeted support for aspiring candidates.

Supporting Sustainable and Inclusive Party Development

Political parties remain central vehicles for democratic participation. By accompanying internal capacity-building processes and reinforcing existing training systems, WYDE contributes to strengthening the role of women and youth within party structures — not as beneficiaries of isolated interventions, but as active political actors shaping their own leadership pathways.

Through this multi-party engagement, the initiative supports locally anchored efforts to deepen inclusive political participation and strengthen democratic culture from within.

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