Ann Dismorr
27 October 2009
opinion
Nairobi — The tragic events of 2008 serve as an important reference point in any discussion on Kenya's future. Regrettable as it is, that chaotic moment handed the country an opportunity to obtain fresh bearings and return to its development compass.
The readings suggest the democratic wave that began with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 did not deliver for Kenya the freedoms that it promised.
Kenya has had a mixed scorecard from its attempts to become a liberal democracy because of tensions between the new dispensation and the old culture.
Constitutional reform is still pending, electoral reforms are yet to be completed, equitable gender relations are troubled, and there is no sense that those responsible for crimes have not been punished.
Kenya still faces huge challenges in guaranteeing civil and political rights. The four successive multiparty elections since 1990 have been held at a great cost to life, limb, liberty and property.
Despite years of civic education and debate, exclusionary social and political practices appear to have increased. At what point will the transition end?
The agenda of the mediation brokered by Dr Kofi Annan and the Panel of Eminent African Personalities are important minimums for reforms and stability. It is important to note, however, that time is not standing still and the world marches on to a new beat.
Besides the challenges identified by the mediation around the quest for a new constitutional reform and just political order, the country must confront climate change and environmental conservation as well as issues that might not have received due attention at the time.
The country needs to develop a holistic change programme that draws lessons from past successes and failures. Regrettably, there is little evidence of a shared sense of destiny that would make national consensus necessary in these issues. There appears to be a dichotomy between leaders and citizens in appreciating the various challenges to nationhood.
Although significant changes have occurred in a number of departments, Kenya is still at a crossroads. If development partners have been less fulsome in their praise of government efforts at reform, it is often because they echo the disappointment that many citizens and their friends abroad feel.
Reflecting on these moments of change, approaches to development, models of citizenship and democracy is necessary if the country is to learn from key actors in the past two decades who have demonstrated great or exceptional leadership in transforming policies.
The conference that starts in Nairobi today and runs until tomorrow seeks to create space for dialogue in development work. Actors will share best practices in sustained change in development policy.
It is also a forum to clarify the content of the change sought in Kenya while seeking creative ways of providing support for policy and political reforms.
There will also be space for agents of change to reflect on their experiences to help the country to better understand how change happens. At the end, it is hoped that the various political leaders, government departments, private sector and civil society organisations as well as individuals committed to delivering a better Kenya agree on a common framework for change and development.
This will enable development partners such as the EU to use aid more effectively to help Kenya achieve its objectives. The conference mirrors the annual EU Development Day event, held in Stockholm last week under the theme, Citizenship and Development, to discuss global challenges around governance, climate change, international finance, trade, food, energy, the role of the media and human and social rights.
Ms Dismorr is the Swedish Ambassador to Kenya. Sweden currently holds the Presidency of the European Union
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