Theme: Political Participation as a Fundamental Human Right!
The 2024 International Human Rights Day in Kenya postdates a tumultuous few months which have been characterized by significant political and social upheavals witnessed in various parts of the country. Major concerns driving the unrest included a growing public disillusionment with, and distrust for governance structures and the political system, inflated corruption, lack of accountability as well as limited spaces and opportunities for meaningful and level dialogue. The youth-led uprisings across the country in agitation for among other issues, accountability and better governance, brought to the limelight systemic deficiencies in Kenya’s political institutions and their inability to address the aspirations of an increasingly vocal citizenry, particularly the young people. These dynamics threaten Kenya’s democratic gains and underline the urgent need to rethink and reform political processes to adopt and advance inclusivity, accountability, and responsiveness.
CMD-Kenya in commemoration of the Human Rights Day, hosted a cocktail dialogue forum, at the Movenpick Hotel in Nairobi on 10th December 2024. Underpinned by the 2024 theme: “Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now” the dialogue forum sought to spotlight the fundamental right to political participation, a principle deeply embedded in the Kenyan Constitution and international statutes and frameworks on human rights. The forum brought together diverse stakeholders in dialogue, in a quest to recover and restore trust in the political system while upholding the core values of democracy and human rights. In attendance were renowned leaders and law makers, defenders and advocates of human rights, political party representatives, development partners, leaders of government institutions, civil society and students. Key areas of focus included reflections on the findings of a study earlier conducted in collaboration with TIFA, to assess the present state of political participation in Kenya as a fundamental right. The study explored barriers and experiences, as well as perceptions of citizens towards political participation, to establish entry-points for meaningful, issue-based discussions that will ultimately promote inclusive and effective political engagement. It is imperative that politics are made inclusive for the progressing of democratic resilience and social cohesion. Link to the Study: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QpYQPVjl6zsbEQc-oK-eAiDR-zKwKi7K/view?usp=drive_link
Civic education and advocacy works in the grassroots, strengthened institutions, embracing youth and PWD leadership and information dissemination will enhance an inclusive democracy. Gov. Kimemia’s feedback to the study was a proposal to explore the issues of concern as the lack of fundamentally ideologically-driven parties, as well as the asymmetry between the number of political parties and quality of democracy and economic prosperity in the country. CMD-K’s Chair, Hon. Gov. Murungi, thought it necessary to examine the role of religion in politics, where spiritual dictatorship is deployed to keep masses subordinated.
A youth-hosted panel discussion explored the prospects of youths’ transition ‘from the streets to the seats.’ The overall objective of the session was to deliberate on enhancing youths’ engagement beyond demonstrations and into the decision-making positions and platforms. Young people attributed their restraint in political participation to diverse issues including distrust for governance institutions, sidelining in decision-making, corruption and ‘jurispesa’, intimidation, the feeling that their voices are ignored where it matters as well as discriminative cultural systems and norms. A cumulation of these and other issues led to the June 2024 demonstrations and precedent apathy towards voting and public participation. Ms. Shakira highlighted that a lot of young people feel that “the only way that our voices are being heard is through protesting and creating some sort of chaos and that’s unfortunate.” Traditional political systems were deemed unfruitful, hence their call for reformed structures and inclusion in policy and decision-making as their voices are also representative of the silent demographic. Mr. Kiprotich challenged his peers to take charge by voting, vying for leadership positions, engaging in advocacy and activism and by engaging in policy making exercises. Rev. Njoya opined that digital platforms remain formidable tools for advocacy and activism; he urged youths to use them responsibly.
Seasoned human rights champions engaged in a knowledge and experience sharing session on their journeys and contributions to advocacy for human rights. Significant milestones have been achieved since the return of Multipartyism in 1992, including adoption of the 2010 constitution which, according to Amb. Muthaura, made substantial strides in uniting an adversely incoherent and a disunited competitive country, post 2007. Hon. Gov. Murungi, however, deemed the celebrations on the advancements premature as the problems of the one-party rule are back with us. The diverse achievements made in Kenya’s democratic development face a dire threat under the present circumstances, where salient violations of human rights including the swelling femicide cases, abductions, police brutality and excessive use of force on civilians, limited access to proper housing and healthcare as well as increasing poverty levels, among others have been sore issues in Kenya’s recent past. Gov. Kimemia in his remarks emphasized that “rights should not be abstract; they must translate into cash in people’s pockets.” It is imperative to link human rights to the national vision, interests and security to advance the entrenching and institutionalization of rights in all levels of governance.
The CMD-K Chair, Hon. Gov. Murungi, recounted the first Human Rights Day commemoration in 1988, at a time when the government was averse to conversations on human rights. Some of the leaders in attendance suffered the repercussions of their advocacy and activism efforts. It is essential for all Kenyans to come together and participate in the shaping of the country as a vibrant multiparty democracy. To agitate for key issues like the implementation of two thirds gender principle which deepens the marginalization of women and youths. Same sentiments were shared by Hon. Elachi who challenged the government to fast-track the implementation process. He called on political leaders, policy makers and development partners to work together to support young people in their quest for change. CMD-Kenya remains a key player in the defense and advancement of Multipartyism and human rights, especially rights to political participation. Convening multi-sectoral dialogue forums will enhance the generation of solutions for dynamic political challenges.
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