The tent for the public forum was packed with at least 150 eager listeners in the part-searing heat, part-drizzling weather in Kisumu, Western Province, most of whom were ordinary members of the public. Bishop Winni Awity thundered, admonished, cajoled and pleaded for Kenyans to forget the past and live in unity. 'We are many tribes, but we are all Kenyans', she said with certainty.

This forum was an attestation of the reason for the four-day civil society week held in Kisumu (from 3 to 6 November 2009 at the Imperial Hotel), and attended by over 200 civil society organisations from across the country. And when it came to question time, many talked about the feelings of despair, of disappointment with the political elite, of problems facing the internally displaced, of women with no means of livelihood, and of the need to live together as one nation, one people. The youth wanted a future in Kenya, not one torn apart by ethnic hatred.

When Amkeni Wakenya organised a four-day civil society week in Kisumu many doubted its significance in view of the fact that similar public events have gone unnoticed by the public. But Moses Omondi, director of the Pillars of Kibera Youth, captured the mood and feeling of many grassroots organisations in kenya when he said 'I would like to appreciate Amkeni Wakenya for organising and inviting Pillars of Kibera for the CSO [civil society organisation] week in Kisumu. This was a commendable week full of new ideas and new network. This also enhanced my creativity in composing more spoken word to reach out to the hearts of Kenyan citizens in demanding for reforms. Thank you so much.'

Organised by the Civil Society Democratic Governance Facility, which has been rebranded and renamed AMKENI WAKENYA, the Democratic Governance Civil Society Week (DG–CSW) offered an opportunity for over 200 representatives of civil society organisations, mainly those from the rural areas, to showcase their work through an exhibition lasting four days and through a series of interactive workshops, a public forum and debates about the role of civil society in the current reform process.

In planning the civil society week, Amkeni Wakenya was in part recognising that the contribution and participation of special groups – such as persons with disabilities, women, the youth, children and minorities – is critical to the attainment of democratic governance, human rights, the rule of law, access to justice and constitutionalism in Kenya and that mainstreaming issues of persons with disabilities, women, the youth, children and minorities is an integral part of all efforts and strategies aimed at attaining these ends. This event had to acknowledge and recognise that Kenya is today at a 'major crossroads; for the first time since independence, the country’s very existence, foundation and the fabric that holds the nation together is being put to severe test'. An event as monumental as this also had to recall and deal with the unfortunate events of the bloodshed, displacements and other human rights violations that were witnessed after the disputed presidential elections of 2007.

In recent years, civil society has been on the receiving end of criticism, at the top of which is the often-asked question 'Who guards the guardians?' This question was effectively answered when CSOs meeting in Kisumu resolved to demanding 'for increased accountability within our own sector in the same way that we demand for accountability from the state through encouraging internal democracy and promoting sound governance practices within our organisations, finding innovative ways of reducing over-dependency on donor funding and increasing reliance on local resources and capacities to improve [the] sustainability of our interventions'.

Addressing the four-day meeting, Lawrence Muite, a commissioner of the Kenyan National Human Rights Commission, called for the 'total disclosure of partnerships through a peer review mechanism' and called on the sector to 'shield civil society from groups which might use civil society for a different agenda'. Muite said civil society could 'adopt a universal periodic review of their activities, and use an inter-sectoral approach to deal with issues of discrimination'.

Speaking to a crowed of eager listeners, the commissioner further appealed to Kenyan civil society actors to reject 'Western models which emphasise the individual, and locate their work within [a] social justice' framework.

The civil society week resolved to work for greater involvement of women in governance processes at grassroots, regional and national levels by mobilising women to participate more actively and effectively in governance at grassroots, regional and national levels, and working with all other interest groups including men, youth, persons with disabilities and minority groups and their organisations as partners in women’s empowerment. Civil society further committed itself to working with other stakeholders and participate 'more effectively in ongoing constitutional, legal, policy, institutional and administrative reforms to pave the way for improved and lasting women’s participation in reforms'.

Addressing the participants, the acting ambassador of the Netherlands embassy, Hans Docter, appealed to civil society actors to be part of the reform process, adding that some policy-makers have been 'sleeping on their jobs'. Annika Jayawardena, Sweden’s councillor and country director of development cooperation, appealed to civil society to become agents of the change agenda. The civil society week was also addressed by luminaries such as Bishop Winny Owiti, Henry Kiriwa, the UNDP’s (United Nations Development Programme) MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) ambassador, Betty Okero, coordinator of the Civil Society Organisations Network in Kisumu, Morris Odhiambo, director of the Centre for Law Reform, and Gilbert Onyango, chairman of the Stakeholder Reference Group.

We reaffirmed our commitment to the inherent dignity and worth of the human person and the equal, universal, inalienable and indivisible human rights of all persons including the human rights of persons with disabilities, women, children, the youth and minorities.

Groups representing people with disabilities argued for a rethinking in the way people with disabilities are treated in society. Peter Wango Opany, an advocate of the rights of persons with disabilities, said that 'for a long time the capacities and freedoms of persons with disabilities in Kenya to live in and take part in ordinary life activities have been pushed to the very fringes of society. The entire field in disability work in Kenya is very little known about by policy-makers and those in a position to influence affirmative action. Consequently the quality of life enjoyed by persons with disabilities is potentially less fulfilling or rewarding than the quality of life enjoyed by able-bodied persons. There is no welfare system in the form of social security income or allowance to cover any aspect of the life of an individual with disabilities.'

Peter Wango Opany observed that although up to 25 per cent of Kenyans are disabled, neither the youth nor women’s groups have addressed issues pertinent to those who are disabled, hardly any voter education specific to the sector of persons with disabilities takes place and no political party has a concrete agenda addressing the issues of persons with disabilities. He told a workshop that 'It is necessary here that the civil society governance democracy facilitation address these issues affecting the rights of persons with disabilities in present and coming civil society week by observing the immediate and medium term of objectives to promote the welfare of persons with disabilities.' Participants resolved to 'champion the rights of all persons in an inclusive manner without demarcating any artificial boundaries on the basis of gender, disability; to work towards mainstreaming disability issues and enhancing the human rights of persons with disabilities within our organisations and in the country as a whole by undertaking to raise awareness on the rights of persons with disabilities as part and parcel of all our programmes'. Civil society groups also resolved to 'lobby the government for the full domestication of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities including the full implementation of the provisions of the Persons with Disabilities Act 2003'.

An issue of recurring interest was the role of youth in the current reform process. Addressing a workshop on 'Youth in democratic governance', Stella Agara, programme officer of the Africa Youth Trust, called on civil society organisations 'to advocate, mobilise, fundraise, draw strategies and undertake activities to ensure the establishment a national youth council that is elected and governed by the youth themselves by December 2010'. Hope Muli of the Young Women’s Christian Associatio and Amkeni Wakenya called on civil society 'to commence civic education and mobilisation of the youth to ensure their effective participation in the democratisation processes in the country including in the general elections of 2012'.

Responding to the recurring theme of change, the Kisumu declaration resolved to 'strengthen our partnerships with all actors working in the sector including civil society, the media, development partners and organisations providing technical assistance with a view to harnessing all available resources to bring about the desired change'.

Grace Osewe, programme coordinator of the Endelevu Community Development Services based in Kisumu, spoke for many grassroots members when she observed: 'as local NGOs, we are used to being locked out of major events. The information and experience shared has greatly impacted us and is a pivotal point for us as an organisation.'

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* Zaya Yeebo is programme manager for the Civil Society Democratic Governance (CSDG) programme. He writes in his own capacity.
* Please send comments to [email protected] or comment online at Pambazuka News.