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This book is a result of public dialogue forums in pursuit of accountable and transparent governance in Kenya organized by Twaweza Communications with the support of Ford Foundation. From the convenings it was evident that the stability of Kenya will be driven by the extent to which citizens feel fully included in the development agenda. Quite often, political leaders view the role of citizens in governance as restricted primarily to their participation in the electoral process. This narrow view has led to arrogance and total disregard of citizens after poll results are announced. Under the ne

The active and meaningful participation of citizens in public affairs is the distinguishing feature of democratic societies, which are judged by the extent to which governments open up to citizen involvement in public affairs and the space they give for citizens to hold the government accountable. It is because of this that citizens in Kenya and Africa in general continue to demand increased space for participation.This report is about the challenges of participatory democracy in Kenya; it assesses the state of democracy and participation in the country. It examines the institutional and legislative processes that would contribute to the consolidation of democracy and political participation. The report explores the available instruments, such as the Constitution of Kenya (2010), to enhance democracy and people's political participation.The report identifies impediments to Kenya's democratic consolidation, with the most important challenges identified as ethnicity and identity politics, the electoral system of first-past-the-post, and the dominance of the executive. The report notes that ethnicity is a symptom of the structure and use of political power. Specifically, the interplay of ethnicity and the competition for executive power have constrained public participation and the democratic transition in general.

THERE ARE CERTAIN DISTINCT MODES OF POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN KENYA THAT MEANINGFULLY STRUCTURE THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL POLITICAL SYSTEM AND THE POPULATION AT LARGE.TWEEN THE DISTRIBUTION OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF POLITICAL PARTICIPANTS, HOWEVER, SHOWS A REMARKABLE PATTERN: LARGE GROUPS OF ACTIVE DEMOCRATS OR ACTIVE BUT LESS-INFORMED CITIZENS CAN BE FOUND IN ALMOST ALL RURAL AREAS.

1. The Seeds of Contemporary Kenyan Constitutional Reform Struggles: An Introduction 2. Crystallisation of the Constitutional Change Movement 3. The Ufungamano Initiative: A Movement of Movements 4. Leadership, Framing, and Mobilisation Strategies 5. Success and its Paradoxes 6. A Dream Deferred 7. Uncivil Energy Begets Civil Ends 8. A Turning Point When History Failed to Turn? 9. Conclusion

Kenya has been the object of much controversy among students of African politics. Some view it as one of the greatest "successes" of the post-independence period; others see it as an example of all that is wrong with African development. Henry Bienen approaches this controversy by asking whether the concept of political participation has been properly understood in the African context. His case study of political participation in Kenya discusses administration, party politics, ethnicity, and class. He suggests that in a system dominated by elites, individuals and groups exert influence primarily through patron-client networks and local administrative and party organs. Local politics is the most important arena for most people, it is argued. As long as the regime adopts policies which maximize economic growth and take account of peasant middle and small holders, and as long as individual representatives can be replaced even though no change of regime occurs, limited political participation leads to political stability.Originally published in 1974.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Regulating the financing of political parties has been a key debate in recent times in Africa. It has been argued that financing political parties enables them to play their role in the democratization process more effectively. This article analyzes the role of money in politics in Kenya, the unequal opportunity it generates for participation and the resultant effects in the broad democratization process. The study also draws lessons of experience from other countries that are relevant to Kenya as it grapples with the quest for reforms to finance political parties. The article finally advocates for the public funding of political parties in Kenya but at the same time points out the shortcomings that are likely to come with it.

The most recent studies on women's political participation demonstrate that women are consistently denied adequate space and a level playing field to participate in politics and governance, especially in many global south countries, unlike their male counterparts. These studies' most dominant claim is that these contexts' patriarchal cultural norms mainly limit women's central involvement in such nations' political processes. Based on this impediment system, it follows that these environments become more unpropitious, hostile, and insecure for women in politics, which opens up and perpetuates possibilities for all manner of harm to them. Because of such threats, several scholars, religious leaders, and women activists decry the underrepresentation of women in politics, which in their understanding, has contributed to prolonged systemic discrimination through a legacy of insufficient woman-centric legislation and policy interventions. There is a consensus-based claim among the majority of these actors that this kind of inadequacy continues unabated due to a siloed thinking that inhibits a joined-up approach in tackling such discrimination. This paper seeks to further explore this claim through a broad stroke integrated review of literature that deals with women's political participation in Kenya, where the concept of traditional gender role beliefs provides a vital backdrop for conducting it. Based on this concept's valuable terms of reference, it is concluded that women need to be accorded a more enabling environment to participate in politics and, in this way, ensure that their ascension to leadership positions in governance becomes tenable. It is anticipated that such an assumption will increase legislation, policy and other interventions geared towards safeguarding women's general participation in politics. In light of such conclusion, it is proposed that groundswell support is needed to ensure that the creation of a conducive environment for women to be involved in politics is realized, and in this way, their disenfranchisement based on their limited participation in politics is tackled.

This study analyzed women political candidates' security status and their participation in political leadership in Kenya. Specific objectives included to establish the level of security for women political candidates, perpetrators of political insecurity, motive for political threats, and the survival tactics used by women political candidates. The study was anchored on conflict theory, standpoint theory, and feminism theory. A cross-sectional descriptive research design was adopted where the target population comprised 125 Members of County Assembly (MCAs) in Nairobi City County. Census was used to involve all of them in the study and a structured questionnaire applied for data collection. The findings established that security for women political candidates in Kenya was a serious issue, with more than 55% of the respondents having witnessed gender-based political violence against women political candidates. Perpetrators of the threats included close family members and political opponents. Common threats included bodily harm, sexual harassment, and embarrassments. Motives for political insecurity included jealousy by detractors/opponents, given the competitive nature of politics. The study concluded that women political candidates in Kenya stand higher security risks than their men counterparts. The study recommended the need for the IEBC to effectively protect all political candidates during campaigns regardless of gender.

This book is a result of public dialogue forums in pursuit of accountable and transparent governance in Kenya organized by Twaweza Communications with the support of Ford Foundation. From the convenings it was evident that the stability of Kenya will be driven by the extent to which citizens feel fully included in the development agenda. Quite often, political leaders view the role of citizens in governance as restricted primarily to their participation in the electoral process. This narrow view has led to arrogance and total disregard of citizens after poll results are announced. Under the ne.