Document Abstract
Published:
2010
Assessing Democracy Assistance: Kenya
How can the international community better assist the democratic process in Kenya?
In early 2008 Kenya was almost on the brink of an all-out civil war after the outcome of a heavily disputed presidential election led to largescale violence between the country’s main ethnic groups. During eight
weeks of both ostensibly spontaneous and more organised political violence in January and February 2008, more than 1,300 people were killed and an estimated 650,000 internally displaced. The postelection crisis made it clear that the country that had been described as a ‘beacon of stability and democratic hope in a region of chaos and authoritarianism’ actually had a highly unstable political system.
This report analyses the role of international agencies in Kenya’s faltering democratisation process and
assesses the impact of different types of international engagement since the 2002 elections.It highlights the various governance challenges in Kenya, especially in the context of the 2008 election crisis, and gives an overview of the large number of international actors and aid programmes working in the field of democracy and governance assistance. The paper discusses the main instruments used by the international community to improve aid effectiveness, including coordination, conditionality and basket funding.
The report aims to make three key points:
weeks of both ostensibly spontaneous and more organised political violence in January and February 2008, more than 1,300 people were killed and an estimated 650,000 internally displaced. The postelection crisis made it clear that the country that had been described as a ‘beacon of stability and democratic hope in a region of chaos and authoritarianism’ actually had a highly unstable political system.
This report analyses the role of international agencies in Kenya’s faltering democratisation process and
assesses the impact of different types of international engagement since the 2002 elections.It highlights the various governance challenges in Kenya, especially in the context of the 2008 election crisis, and gives an overview of the large number of international actors and aid programmes working in the field of democracy and governance assistance. The paper discusses the main instruments used by the international community to improve aid effectiveness, including coordination, conditionality and basket funding.
The report aims to make three key points:
- strong fluctuations in the level of critical engagement and assistance from the international community have given a mixed message to consecutive Kenyan governments, each of which has failed to follow through initial democratic reforms due to an absenceof political will
- the focus of international assistance programmes on Nairobi-based elites and specialised NGOs has come at the expense of more community-oriented, traditional civil societyactors with large memberships
- the current design of aid modalities (such as basket funding) and organisational profiles of many aid agencies fall short of what is required in terms of the flexibility and political savvy needed to support democracy in Kenya today.
