Civil Society Organizations under the Citizen Agen da Pillar umbrella have called on the government to make their commitment to fighting corruption a reality.
Speaking on behalf of CSOs at a press conference on the state of governance and recent developments in the fight against corruption in Kenya on July 6, 2023, Suba Churchill, the Executive Director of Kenya National Civil Society Centre noted that under the Ken ya Kwanza manifesto, also known as the ‘The Bot tom-up Economic Transformation 2022-2027,’ the government committed to ending the weaponization and politicization of anti-corruption efforts by allowing relevant institutions to freely exercise the independence granted to them by the Constitution; grant them and the police financial independence to end their reliance on the Office of the President and promote accountability and openness in the management of public affairs; institutionalize open governance in all State organs and agencies and publish an annual State of openness report.
The CSOs commended the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for making some progress in the recovery of corruption-related asserts but regretted recent efforts by members of parliament to water down safeguards against corruption by proposing amendments that would weaken the law.
They urged MPs to be at the forefront of the battle against corruption because they are charged with the primary responsibility of providing oversight to the Executive and serving as the defender of citizens’ interests.
The Citizens Agenda Pillar is one of the key planks of the Multi-Sectoral Forum (MSF): the initiative that brings together the private sector, professional associations, civil society organizations, and a diverse array of interest groups to address governance and citizens-centered issues of public interest and concern in Kenya.
The East African Civil Society Forum held the first-ever civil society summit labeled the East Africa Civil Society Summit 2023 under the theme “Harnessing Potential in regional integration processes.”
The event which was held between the 3rd – 5th of May 2023 in Arusha Tanzania attracted close to 200 delegates from the seven East Africa Community partner states. The summit was geared toward enhancing citizens’ participation in meaningful regional integration processes.
The summit’s overall objective was to strengthen the role and visibility of civil society in policy dialogue related to regional and continental development agendas. Speaking during the opening ceremony of the summit, the United Republic of Tanzania’s Minister of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Dr. Dorothy Gwajima, congratulated the leadership of the East African Civil Society Organization (EACSOF) for convening the summit urging the participants to come up with resolutions on various thematic areas that touch the lives of a common citizen such as health, governance and democracy.
The Minister acknowledged EACSOF chapters’ efforts to participate in research, convening national dialogues and holding public meetings on important issues affecting citizens within the EAC region.
During the three-day summit, the delegates (state and non-state actors) across the seven EAC partner states agreed to continue engaging in citizen-led campaigns and sustained engagement with duty bearers at the national, regional and continental levels, with a view to ensuring adherence to the tenets of democracy in the protection of civic space for engagement and management of public affairs.
Further, they also agreed to advocate for the empowerment of women and youth to able trade under the auspices of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and push for the enactment of progressive policy and legislation to support a conducive operating environment for the realization of a thriving agricultural sector, that incorporates climate-resilient, adaptive approaches to food security and livelihoods.
EACSOF Kenya chapter with support from CCGD coordinated the participation of civil society actors from Kenya who constituted the second largest delegation after the host- Tanzania.
The establishment of Namanga childcare centre in Namanga town is steps away after the Kajiado County Government and Collaborative Centre for Gender and Development (CCGD) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at county government offices in Kajiado town on Tuesday, December 6, 2022.
The County Government shall secure the location of the facility and provide staff
CCGD shall facilitate the quality delivery of childcare services by building the capacity of the caregivers and parents association and management committee. CCGD shall also contribute to the cost of running of the facility as well as collecting, analyzing and disseminating data to inform policies.
Speaking during the signing of the MOU, the County Secretary, Mr Francis Ole Sakuda, welcomed the partnership saying the county government will accord CCGD and other partners all the support they may need with regard to child protection.
Adding that the county government was fully aware of the disproportionate burden of childcare duties performed by women and had provided space in the Ngong Market for the establishment of a childcare facility.
On his part, CCGD Executive Director, Mr. Masheti Masinjila said ongoing discussions with Namanga women cross-border traders had resulted in the partnership to between Kajiado County and CCGD to address childcare challenges.
The signed MOU agreement seeks to increase women traders and other working women’s access to childcare facilities and enable them to concentrate on their work and increase their productivity. The partnership should also inform Kajiado County on what it takes to provide childcare to enable them to make appropriate budgetary allocations.
Present at the signing of the MOU ceremony was County Executive Committee Member for Public and Social Services, Mr. Alais Kisota; County Chief Officer, Ms Rose Mumbe; Director of Social Services, Ms. Irene Katete; Deputy Director Social Services Mr Philip Murre; Coordinator Social Protection, Agnes Payiaton and a team from CCGD which included, Program Officer Childcare and Child Protection, Ms. Grace Kathau; Human Rights Officer, Ms Diana Mwanzia, Communication Officer, Maurice Goga and Kajiado County Administrator, Ms. Ruth Nashipae.
At least 24 children graduated from Busia Childcare Centre as they transitioned to pre-primary school during a graduation ceremony held on 2nd December 2022 at Busia Childcare Centre grounds.
Addressing the parents, Busia County Director for ECDE Dr. Barasa said the initiative has brought relief for the women traders whom he says now have a safe place to leave their children as they embark on their businesses.
He called on the parents to continue investing in their children cooperate with the management of the facility in terms of payment to help the facility continue with its operations.
The Chairperson Busia Women Cross-borders Traders Association, Ms. Florence Atieno called upon the county government to support the initiative as it has impacted the lives of both the women and their children.
She added that the facility does not cater for children of women cross-border traders alone but also takes in children from other economic sectors so as to allow women to fully participate in their income-generating activities.
Busia Childcare Centre is a collaborative initiative among the Busia Women Cross-border Association, the County Government of Busia and the Collaborative Centre for Gender and Development with support from Mastercard Foundation and the University of Nairobi Women Economic Empowerment Hub. The project seeks to redistribute the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work on women through providing 0-4 daycare To date, 11914 children have attended the facility since its inception in August 2021.
Cindy Kobei (C) from Crawn Trust making presentation on mapping of daily life during Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) training held from 6th to 8th September 2022 in Nairobi. Onlooking is Hana Abid, Programme Manager, UK WBG. (Picture: Maurice Goga, CCGD)
Participants from county governments, civil society organizations, and research institutions took part in a three-day training on gender-responsive budgeting held between the 6th and 8th of September 2022 in Nairobi. The training dubbed, “Gender Responsive Budgeting: putting GRB into practice” was jointly organized by the UK Women’s Budget Group (WBG) and the Kenya Gender Budget Network KGBN) which is hosted by the Collaborative Centre for Gender and Development (CCGD).
The program manager at UK WBG explained that GRB is not a special budget for women, but a gender-balanced policy approach that ensures equitable budgeting for the needs of women and men, boys and girls.
The training was attended by representatives of 20 organizations including, the University of Nairobi Women Economic Empowerment Hub, Investing in Children and their Societies (ICS),International Budget Partnerships Kenya, Follow the Money Kenya, County Government of Nairobi, Institute of Public Finance Kenya, Institute of Economic Affairs Kenya,Emerging Leaders Foundation Youth Alive Kenya, Fight inequality Alliance, International Peace Support Training Centre, Oxfam Kenya, Population Reference Bureau, County Government of Nyeri, Community Empowerment and Development Centre (CEDC), Kenyatta University, KGBN, CCGD and Ebyan Adiraham, Programme Officer, UK Women’s Budget Group and Lucille Onyango -the consultant.
Mr. Francis Namuju from the Community Empowerment and Development Centre (CEDC) making presentation on mapping of daily life during Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) training held from 6th to 8th September 2022 in Nairobi. Holding the presentation is Ebyan Adiraham, Programme Officer, UK WBG. [Maurice Goga, CCGD]
UK Women’s Budget Group is a small non-profit organization that analyzes government public policies from a gender perspective to influence and lobby to create a more gender-equal economy. Through their Global Partnership and Learning Programme, they have been partnering with CCGD on various capacity-building sessions on GRB, gender-sensitive policy planning and fundraising strategies. On the other hand, Kenya Gender Budget Network which is hosted by CCGD has been engaging in gender-focused advocacy work to inform programming and budgeting. The network is an open membership for stakeholders and new institutions and individuals interested in advancing GRB in Kenya and beyond can express their interest by writing an email to Josiah Kiarie at kgbn@ccgdcentre.org and copying ccgdinfo@gmail.org.
Participants of Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) training held from the 6th to 8th September 2022 in Nairobi. The training was jointly organized by UK WBG, CCGD and KGBN.
The East Africa Civil Society Organizations’ Forum (EACSOF) Kenya Chapter with support from International Centre Not-For-Profit Law (ICNL) on 15th September 2022 relaunched the Protection of Civic Space in East Africa Platform – an open interactive platform that seeks to re-enforce the capacity of civic actors in East Africa to counter shrinking civic space by sharing information, human resources strategies and share best practices in the region. The platform was originally launched on 19th September 2019.
Speaking at the relaunch, Hon. Zein Abubakar, a former legislator of the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) stated that one of the cornerstones for creating the platform was to safeguard public participation in civic space.
He noted that constraining constitutional and legal frameworks from different EAC partner states have advanced the shrinking of civic which has left only Kenya with a fair legal framework in the region.
Ms. Florence Nakazibwe, Legal Officer at ICNL said the platform will consolidate expression and intensify efforts to address the challenge faced by civic actors and CSOs. Adding that it will also incorporate influential people such as traditional leaders, youth and FBOs, social movement activists, and trade unions as key allies that will amplify the civic space. She called on civic actors in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania to build the capacities of civic actors in the new states joining the EAC.
The chair of EACSOF-K, Mr. Morris Odhiambo urged members to interact with the platform as it will enable them to get regular updates on emerging trends in civic space saying that the platform will offer the opportunity for information sharing across the region and formulation of strategies to enforce and safeguard civic space.
Kwale Law Courts Senior Principal Magistrate Hon. Joe Omido making a presentation on the nature of the evidence required and how to present such evidence during the court process by police and medics. (Picture: Vicky Kisuli, CCGD)
Clinicians, police, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and judiciary representatives held consultations on collecting and handling SGBV-related evidence to ensure justice for survivors.
Speaking at the meeting, Msambweni Law Courts Senior Resident Magistrate, Hon. Sandra Ogot stated that the chain of conviction starts with the police who compile evidence before handing them over to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) which then presents the evidence before the court.
“The police are the first point where survivors of SGBV run to before they proceed to the hospital for examination by clinicians. Once the evidence is lost at this point, the case is lost because the evidence determines whether the case will end up in conviction or acquittal,” Hon. Ogot said.
The Senior Resident Magistrate called on the police not to accept any form of bribery to interfere with evidence saying interfering with evidence will delay or deny justice to the survivors.
Mr. Mulama Allen, Prosecutor from the ODPP stated that most medical practitioners and the police usually have a challenge when filling the P3 and PRC forms as the prosecution teams often have challenges in interpreting the filled forms which have led to many acquittals.
On her part, Fatuma Hadi Ali, a Senior Superintendent from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations said that Kwale County has seen a reduction in the number of unreported SGBV cases which she attributed to the establishment of police gender desk and policare at various police stations across the country. She urged the police officers to ensure that they go through the evidence and exhibits with the plaintiff before the case proceeds to court for a hearing.
The participants said that through community policing they have been able to respond to SGBV cases which has led to a decline in the cases of SGBV in Kwale County. However, some of the cases go unreported due to preference by community for community informal resolution mechanisms.
CCGD continues to strengthen support and services to SGBV survivors by offering institutional support to the Msambweni Referral Hospitals; Gender-Based Violence Recovery Centre (GBVRC).
The GBVRCs offer clinical and psycho-social support to survivors as well as referrals to law and justice institutions support services including medical attention, psychosocial support and linkages to referral pathways whenever they report their cases.
Africa Youth Trust Executive Director, Hesbone Ndungu speaking on issues affecting the Kenyan youth during the National Dialogue Forum held on 23rd and 24th February, 2022 in Nairobi. [Getrude Angela, CCGD]
The Principal Secretary (PS) State Department for East African Community, Dr. Kevit Desai paid tribute to the youth as important stakeholders in the EAC integration process since they form a substantial part of the population and their participation in the Consultative Dialogue Framework (CDF) cannot be understated. The PS made the remarks during the National Dialogue Forum held between 23rd and 24th March 2022,
He said that several initiatives to mainstream youth into the EAC policy, programs, and projects such as; harmonization of curricula; examination; certification; accreditation of education of training institutes; and harmonization of university fees have been put in place.
Dr. Desai called on the youth to understand and internalize the initiatives of the integration process as this will enable them to spread the integration process to the grassroots and critique the process and policies of implementation.
On his part, the Chair of the National Dialogue Committee – Kenya, Mr. Masheti Masinjila acknowledged the notable presence of the youth whom he said had attended the forum in good numbers, a clear indication that the dialogue process will continue.
In gearing up for the 7th East Africa Community Secretary General’s Forum under the theme, “Towards a post-COVID-19 recovery for Socio-economic transformation”. Kenya through the Ministry of East African Community and Regional Development convened Kenya’s National Dialogue Forum (NDF) between 24th and 25th March 2022.
While addressing the stakeholders, the PS. State Department for East African Community, Dr. Kevit Desai noted that the NDF provides a platform where issues affecting the EAC citizen are discussed and fast-tracked to the annual Secretary General’s Forums. Adding that through Consultative Dialogue Framework (CDF) a lot has been accomplished such as the inclusion of other professionals in accounting, architecture, veterinary, surgeons, land surveyors and advocates who have all been included in the EAC integration agenda.
PS. State Department for East African Community, Dr. Kevit Desai during the National Dialogue Forum held on 23rd and 24th February, 2022 in Nairobi. [Getrude Angela, CCGD]
The PS also said through the EAC integration process they have witnessed harmonization of the education curriculum including the development of rules and regulations guiding the conduct of examination, and certification in the EAC education institutions.
Dr. Desai lauded the efforts of private sector organizations in advocating and helping achieve a business and economic environment through evidence-based policy advocacy leading to the harmonization of trade presentation and regulatory frameworks. Further, they have also helped in the harmonization of standard products and realization of free movement of factors of production including addressing the trade barriers to cross-border women traders and micro and small enterprises.
He said that NDF offers the stakeholders an opportunity to celebrate some of the successful outcomes of the EAC integration process. He urged them to reflect on the commitments under CDF and develop a scorecard that would remind the policy makers where is as far as the EAC integration agenda is concerned.
In his remarks, the Chair of the National Dialogue Committee (NDC), Mr. Masheti Masinjila noted that the CDF sets up the protocol for continuous and systematic dialogues between the CSOs, PSOs and other interested groups – the youth, PWDs, political parties and professional associations.
According to Masheti, after the break of the old EAC, it was decided that the new EAC will be a people-centered and driven community. Meaning if the seven heads of EAC partner states disagree, their disagreements cannot lead to the fall of the community.
The Chair pointed out that the discussions emanating from the forum are intended to lay the ground for different kinds of policies for the government.
“Government works through policies and laws – they need policies to inform their action plans and at these kinds of meetings lays the ground for different kinds of policies,” said Masheti.
He added that they will lobby at the regional level to carry over the outcomes of the meetings to the 7th SG’s Forum which will be held in Nairobi, Kenya.
He also acknowledged the support the dialogue process has been receiving from ‘Kenyan best donors’ particularly Trade Mark East Africa, Ford Foundation, and FAWE- Kenya whom he said have always supported the dialogue processes.
“We appreciate the support we have always received from the ‘Kenyan best donors’ who understand and appreciate the dialogue process and availing funds for these functions,” said the NDC Chair.
Also present was Ms. Linda Ochiel, Ford Foundation Program Officer in the Eastern Africa region who said that the Foundation supports regional mechanisms such as the EAC. She added that in the Eastern Africa region they focus on two key issues – corruption and protection of civic space.
Ford Foundation Program Officer in the Eastern Africa region, Linda Ochiel addressing participants of the National Dialogue Forum held 3rd and 24th February, 2022 in Nairobi. [Getrude Angela, CCGD]
“We support regional mechanism because the government is at the core of the things the foundation is very keen on,” she said.
Adding: “To have a regional mechanism essentially means that the civil societies and the public would have an alternative mechanism which they can use to hold the government accountable on governance, democracy, and human rights issues.”
She said the Foundation is keen to ensure that there are resources available at the regional level to support initiatives to ensure that the regional mechanisms have sufficient resources to be able to fulfill their mandates.
Others present included representatives from Ministries and State Departments/Agencies; East African Civil Society Organizations’ Forum (EACSOF); Disability Sausage; University of Nairobi Women Economic Empowerment Hub (UON WEE Hub); Africa Youth Trust, Horn of Africa Youth Network, Collaborative Centre for Gender and Development (CCGD), Transparency International Kenya (TIK), CUTs, International Institute of Legislative Affairs (IILA), East Africa Tax Governance Network (EATGN) Eastern Africa Child Rights Network (EACRN) among others.
The stakeholders deliberated on various national issues papers including Re- focusing on anti-corruption efforts to reduce gender-based and other inequalities; Domestic resource mobilization in EAC – Illicit financial flows in the extractives sector in the EAC; Removing barriers to free movement of goods, services, and persons through digital trade; Proposing adoption of regional policy intervention for regulating trans fats per World Health Organisation global agenda; Double Taxation Agreements (DTA) Leveraging on youth demographics – Youth Peace and Security; The socio-economic effects of COVID – 19 on PWDs; COVID-19 and human trafficking: The socio-economic etiology of human trafficking; Accelerating COVID-19 recovery and resilience through Gender Responsive Budgeting in East Africa; COVID-19 and Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) of girls and young women; Why we should avoid checking boxing in peace and conflict: Experience of Persons with Disabilities.
Some of the key resolutions included:
Develop a policy framework to guide regional trade to address the lack of harmonized rules of digitization.
Implementation of Common Market Protocol through a harmonized taxation policy.
Digitization of tax systems across the region for ease of reference on the trial record.
Create an enabling environment for the realization of socio-economic rights as enshrined in Constitution and EAC Treaty.
Review of the law to ensure petty offenses are not custodial within partner states.
Increase Budget allocation IEBC to enable them to hold PWDs responsive elections.
Protection of vulnerable groups such as PwDs, youth, women, and children
