From chairing a volleyball team to building technology companies, James Ngugi reflects on what youth leadership means beyond hashtags and conferences.
Every year, Kenya hosts dozens of youth leadership summits. Young people gather in conference halls, listen to keynotes about empowerment, take photos with certificates, and return home inspired. Three weeks later, most have forgotten what was said.
I’ve attended these summits. I’ve also spoken at them. And I’ve come to believe that youth leadership isn’t learned in conference halls. It’s learned in the unglamorous work of showing up consistently, solving small problems, and taking responsibility when things go wrong.
Lessons from the Volleyball Court
Three years ago, I became Chairman of the Kabete Volleyball Team. It wasn’t a prestigious position. No media coverage. No networking opportunities with VIPs. Just a small community team that needed someone to handle logistics, settle disputes, and occasionally fundraise for equipment.
That role taught me more about leadership than any fellowship or training programme.
I learned that leadership is mostly administration. Someone has to book the venue, remind people about practice, and track who paid their contributions. Unglamorous work that makes everything else possible.
I learned that people will test you. Members skipped practice. Payments were late. Conflicts arose. Each situation required patience, consistency, and fairness. You can’t motivate people from a podium – you earn their commitment through daily interactions.
I learned that small wins matter. When we grew from a handful of members to over 30 active participants, with contributions reaching KES 40,000, it felt like a genuine achievement. Not because the numbers were impressive by any external measure, but because we had built something together.
Leadership is Responsibility, Not Title
The same lessons applied when building companies. At Deadan Group, my title is CTO. But most days, leadership means debugging code at midnight because a client’s payroll needs to run. It means taking responsibility when our systems have issues. It means making decisions with incomplete information and living with the consequences.
Young Kenyans are often told we need to wait our turn. That leadership positions belong to elders. That we should be grateful for any opportunity to participate.
I disagree. Leadership isn’t about positions – it’s about taking responsibility. You can lead from wherever you stand, as long as you’re willing to do the work that others avoid.
What We Should Tell Young People
If I could speak at every youth summit, I’d say this: Stop waiting for permission. Find a problem in your community – any problem – and start solving it. The problem doesn’t need to be massive. The solution doesn’t need to be funded. Just begin.
Start a study group. Organise a cleanup. Launch that business idea on a shoestring. Coach a sports team. The specific activity matters less than the act of taking responsibility for something beyond yourself.
That’s where leadership develops. Not in conference halls, but in the daily work of building something, failing, adjusting, and showing up again. Kenya’s future depends on young people who understand this – and who start leading long before anyone gives them a title.
