Memorandum submitted by ABANTU for Development
(Submission to DFID Kenya as part
of DFID Kenya's consultation on its Country Assistance Plan 2004-07)
This will be a brief comment on DFID's Kenya
CAP consultation.
We agree with DFID's reading of Kenya's current
situation.
— Kenya has the potential to be the
regional engine of economic growth and prosperity.
— The challenges Kenya faces as enumerated
by DFID's consultation paper.
— Despite all the problems and challenges
this country faces, Kenya still has the potential to make rapid
progress in reducing poverty both at home and in the East African
region.
We will comment on the following:
1. POLICY FORMULATION:
Participation by all members of society is very
important during policy formulation. ABANTU believes that strategies
for poverty alleviation in Kenya will only be successful if people
who live in poverty are involved at all levels of policy formulation
policies and initiatives. The people themselves must take ownership
of the process so that it can be effective.
The 2002 elections proved that Kenyans could
be agents of change by electing the NARC coalition. With appropriate
capacity-building and information, the government of Kenya, civil
society organisations and DFID can find creative ways to include
solutions from all members of society.
Since 1999, the UK government has had several
programmes to ensure that local community needs and concerns are
given the importance they deserve. The government states in the
Neighbourhood Regeneration: "local people know best what
the priorities of their own neighbourhood are. It is essential
that they have the opportunity and the tools to get involved in
whatever way they want." Furthermore, the government has
set aside funds to support communities so that they can be better
equipped to have a say in how they are governed. This example
shows that the same model can be adopted in Kenya so that all
Kenyans can have a say in how their government is ran and how
policies affecting their lives are created.
2. CORRUPTION
While corruption is rife in Kenya, it is important
to note that this is not just a Kenyan or African phenomenon.
Corruption cuts thorough all societies in the world and in all
sorts of working environments.
The government of Kenya appears to be working
hard to fight corruption through several measures it has initiated,
including salary increases for lawmakers and implementers and
policy makers. In addition, some essential work is being done
through specially set-up commissions to address corruption, for
instance illegally grabbed land. It has been heartening to see
several individuals who in previous years were deemed above the
law being charged with corruption.
While these measures are commendable, corruption
in Kenya will only cease when poverty levels are reduced and people
stop augmenting their small pay packages through taking bribes.
Again, only through awareness raising by the
government and civil society organisations will the people understand
how corruption affects their lives and how they can counter it.
DFID could also help eradicate corruption in Kenya by encouraging
those outside of Kenya from using corrupt methods to gain unfair
advantage (corporate handshakes).
3. GENDER
We are concerned that DFID did not highlight
the role that women play in society, especially in poverty eradication.
DFID mentions gender equality only as part of the MDGs (the provision
of education for girls).
We would like to believe that the DFID team
working in Kenya has seen how women contribute both to the country's
economic and policy development. Kenyan women have been in the
forefront, fighting for the end of repressive laws and constitutional
reforms, as well as fighting corruption. Kenyan women have also
been heavily involved in the campaigning for the HIV/AIDS awareness,
and bringing sensitive issues like domestic violence to the nation's
attention.
We would like to believe that DFID has developed
a culture of gender sensitivity and is aware that gender inequality
is a structural impediment to eliminating poverty. According to
UNDP, 70% of the 1.3 billion people living in poverty are women.
Gender insensitive polices and programmes have led to the "feminisation
of poverty". Women make up the majority of rural agricultural
economies in Kenya, which are smallholder subsistence and cash
crop farmers. Women are the unofficial nurses in the family, taking
care of those who fall sick.
We would like to see DFID provide more support
for women in Kenya either through the government or through civil
society organisations that work with or for women. We believe
that it is only until women are empowered to engage with the economic
structures of the country will poverty be alleviated.
4. THE HIV/AIDS
PANDEMIC
ABANTU for Development believes that HIV/AIDS
is a developmental and poverty issue, not a health one. We believe
that DFID should support a multi-dimensional framework addressing
the pandemic as a developmental and poverty problem. As with all
programmes, HIV/AIDS programmes must be formulated with the Kenyan
people in mind. Programmes should involve faith groups, traditional
and customary leaders and Kenyan CSOs, taking into account the
cultural norms of different Kenyans groups, customary and traditional
roles. Capacity building for these different groups will be very
useful and important because they are the people who essentially
work with the people affected by HIV/AIDS.
The gender dimension of this pandemic should
be addressed. More women than men are affected and infected by
HIV and as mentioned earlier, women often bear the burden of caring
for family members.
We also believe that Kenyan people will themselves
provide creative and culturally appropriate ways of raising awareness
within their own communities.
5. CIVIL SOCIETY
ORGANISATIONS
DFID has made little mention of working with
international and local CSOs in Kenya. The fact that there is
a new government does not mean DFID need not work with CSOs. Many
CSOs work at grassroots level, and are powerful agents for social
change, for most marginalised in society, particularly for those
who would otherwise be inaccessible to government and statutory
agencies. These organisations meet a need where mainstream services
are non-existent. Again the UK is a good example of CSOs working
in partnership with government and funders; the government is
a world leader in good governance, there is little poverty and
few instances of human rights abuses, yet there are well over
100,000 CSOs ranging from local neighborhood community organisations
to large international organisations. These complement and supplement
the government's work. UK government departments have carried
out several consultations in the past years and have been vocal
in their support and understanding of the standing of CSOs.
We believe that DFID would be more effective
if local and international CSOs are included in the plan for Kenya.
A lot of them work in places where both the government of Kenya
and DFID cannot be due to political or logistic reasons. CSOs
will also ensure that DFID have a multi-dimensional approach in
all its work. On the whole, CSOs do not work from a political
agenda thus they are quite impartial in the services they provide.
6. TRADE
Trade is Kenya's lifeline. One of the more positive
ways that DFID would work with Kenya is to work towards ensuring
that trade and development are on the UK's and EU's agenda. Ensuring
all the blocks towards trade and export for Kenya (and indeed
all developing countries) is eliminated would support the country's
development, for instance, the unfair subsidies, CAPs and tariffs.
February 2004
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