The role of non-state actors in deepening democracy in Kenya

The role of non-state actors in deepening democracy in Kenya

Non-state actors have been very instrumental in providing civic education to Kenyans with broad aim of achieving fundamental national transformation through public policy, legal and constitutional as well as institutional reforms and transformation as well as creating public awareness by re-orienting the national paradigm and psyche for mainstreaming constitutionalism and engendering robust public participation and engagement.

The non-state actors play an equally important role in ensuring sustainable information and awareness on the political, social, economic and constitutional issues and challenges affecting the citizens. They enable citizens to actively engage the government – national and county as a core civic duty, always helping the citizens to productively participate in decision-making and policy formulation on all matters that affect them. Through the non-state actors, citizens are helped to inculcate a culture of adherence to the principles of the rule of law and the constitution as key to good governance and public administration, public dialogue and engendering democracy. The non-state actors have always also played a key role in developing a culture of constitutionalism, respect to the rule of law including promotion of the dignity, integrity and visibility of fundamental human rights and freedoms. Equally, non-state actors play a pivotal role in fostering a system that ensures governmental responsiveness to its citizens and citizens’ responsibility for keeping the government always in check.

The role of non-state actors in deepening local democracy is thus anchored on Article 1 and Article 33 of the Constitution of Kenya and cannot be undermined by any right thinking and well-meaning government. Whereas Article 1 of the Constitution bestows the sovereign power to the people of Kenya, it goes ahead to state that such power is exercised directly or indirectly through democratically elected representatives. In line with this provision, it is imperative that the citizens are placed at the center of governance and public service. This calls for enhancing the capacity of the public to effectively exercise their inherent powers contained in Article 1 of the Constitution through active and sustainable civic education and enlightenment program.

Going by the above, it is not in the best interest of the public for the Government to level accusations and counter accusations to any non-state actors for playing a role that is anchored in law. Civic education and voter mobilization, for instance, have always been provided by the non-state actors as a chief platform to ensure that the citizens are forearmed with advanced relevant and appropriate information, knowledge and understanding as well as ownership of the constitution and its implementation process.

One such key non-state actors with rich historical background for support to the engendering and mainstreaming of democracy across the globe is the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). Founded in 1987, IFES has been engaged in some of the key historic elections in over 145 countries. In Africa, IFES has worked with Elections Management Bodies in Kenya (ECK, IIEC and IEBC), Nigeria, Liberia, Burundi, South Sudan, DR Congo, Cameroon, Somaliland, Sierra Leone, Mali, Ghana, South Africa, among others. In all these countries, IFES has worked in partnerships with other non-state actors and EMBs to address issues such as Electoral Integrity, Participation and Inclusion, Accountability, Research and Surveys and Women’s Empowerment. For the last 25 years now, IFES has been in the frontline promoting what is called, “a vote for every voice” globally with Kenya having started working with IFES through the now defunct ECK in the year 2002.

Through partnerships with civil society organizations, multi-lateral institutions, elections management bodies, professional associations and governments across the world, IFES has been a global leader in promoting democracy, good governance and democratic rights of citizens by proving technical assistance and capacity building to elections’ officials, empowering the underrepresented to fully participate in the political processes and applying field-based participatory research to improve the electoral cycle. IFES is thus rightly credited for its efforts to promote international standards and best practices in elections. Its key partner in Africa is the Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa.

In Kenya, IFES has worked with mainly the now defunct Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) in 2002, IIEC in 2010 and IEBC since 2011. IFES supported ECK to conduct an electoral review process in 2002. In 2010, IFES provided Technical Assistance Support to the Interim Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IIEBC) on the implementation of an Electronic Results Transmission System during the Kenya Constitutional Referendum and sub-sequent by-elections. The outcomes of these technical assistance were tremendous as results were transmitted real-time and tallying conducted with little hitches. Since 2011, IFES has continued to provide technical support and capacity building to IEBC in the areas of Voter Registration, Results Transmission, Oversight of Political Parties, Civic Education and Elections Disputes Resolution to facilitate IEBC’s role in conducting transparent, credible and violence-free elections. Currently, as a follow-up to its previous engagement with our IEBC, IFES was implementing a program called, “Kenya Electoral Assistance Program (KEAP) funded by USAID.

The assistance by IFES to Kenya’s electoral process is therefore not unconstitutional neither is it tilted to either side of the political divide as is now being purported by a  section of the Government. However, it is derived and anchored on our rich bilateral relationship with the United States of America (USA) Government and its commitment to help Kenya hold a free, fair, credible, generally acceptable and peaceful elections on the 8th August 2017.

Attempts to demonize and illegitimize the activities of IFES in Kenya is a recipe for causing a premature disapproval of the elections results and outcome in the coming elections as it will make Kenyans start believing prima facie that the government has all the ill intention to disregard the efforts towards automating elections, promoting transparent and credible elections by resorting to widely disapproved analogue manual voting system. This fear is now confirmed with the Legislators who with frantic efforts have ignored the voices and pleas of other ordinary Kenyans and instead have gone ahead to unilaterally amend the Elections Act in a chaotic parliamentary proceedings only reminiscent of the Internal Security (Amendment) Act of 2015.

The writer is a Monitoring & Evaluation Specialist. Email: dboi@iasr.co.ke

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