Don't Agonize, Organize. Those are three words that capture the current trends of frustration in Kenya. The Citizens have a penchant to complain about virtually everything going wrong. But when it comes to the bold steps of finding the solution. The responsibility had rather be taken over by someone else. Indeed without properly organizing, it is difficult to galvanize into desired results.
For a number of years when I was still youth, we put together the National Youth Convention that ruffled feathers of the powers that be. Every time there were thousands of youths gathering to discuss a national agenda, the national intelligence system in the country were always on high alert. The phones for the organizers are tapped to listen in on the plans and just in case there is reason to worry or if there is surreptitious plans, they can be thwarted. In all cases, the anger was driven by the need for a better and not a destroyed country.
With the National Youth Convention, we saw many of the current leaders (Raila Odinga, Anyang Nyong'o, Martha Karua, Charity Ngilu, Kivutha Kibwana) to just name a few..come to address the youth leaders because they knew NYC was where the pulse of the Nation is. Quite a number of the resolutions passed were implemented and others taken over by national government either through policy or programme priority areas of Ministries.
The National Youth Summit was another attempt largely on peace issues surrounding the very divisive national political campaigning and subsequent pockets of violence across the country. This again came with resources to mobilize young people in their respective provinces and have conversations that spark actions at local level.
The National Youth Sector Alliance was an attempt at institutionalizing organizing so that while there were efforts at local level to highlight on the plight of youth people, there needed to be a platform to make such recommendations available to policy makers. The Prime Minister's Youth Round Table was created with the support of the very abled Emmanuel Lubembe, a gentleman that I quite respect.. One of the pioneers of transformation in Public Service. We managed to identify a raft of ideas and recommendations that we made available to an Inter Ministerial initiative. A number of the recommendations have been implemented. But one of the lessons learned in the process was that while advocating for certain changes, there is need for tact and strategy. Make visible your anger on the shortcomings, mobilize support, and ensure the issues are articulated on the decision making tables. The streets are not enough. They are important as to ensure the public is aware, but a seat on the table ensures that your voices are heard.
But many always ask how one can gain a seat on the table. There exists many avenues. One of the avenues we utilized was that of allies in the decision making offices, Ministries, Parliament, commissions and other spaces. One mistake we always make is to demonize those in the decision making positions for the lack of doing the right thing. One lesson I have learned is that an existing system does not take a transformed individual to change it, it requires concerted efforts.
I believe that when citizens take matters into their hands, make noise about what affects them, protest, present petitions, institute public interest litigation, it makes a lot of sense. When those given positions of responsibility know that the citizens are monitoring and watching progress, they tend to act in the interest of the public good. When citizens fail to understand the workings of a system, participate in matters that affect their governance, the leaders tend to develop an appetite of acting on their own instincts rather than what has been documented to be a common plan.
Kenya is going through a transformation brought by the new constitution, however, there is also the reality that the first crop of County Government Leadership as well as the national Government, on entrenching corruption as one of the factors of leadership. Every new system requires the citizens to understand its workings, however when citizens keep off, it gives fodder for crafty business.
We have not had a very successful organization into all the sectors that matter most. Many young people who have ended up in elective politics after many years of agitation through civil society, have found a very lonely space. A space where there are competing interest of the individual and that of the citizens. When individual interests takes precedence, and in most cases it does, the citizens end up suffering. Organizing to ensure accountability of the elected leaders is one social science that has never been understood in Africa. Many African leaders enjoy the possibility of a citizenry that does not hold them accountable.
We have ended up with systems where when the truth is told, it hurts those in power. When those in power end up using their positions to suppress the truth, and when citizens condone such actions, usually the monopoly of violence rests with holders of state power. But what people within the state do not understand is that citizens agitation is driven by the desire for a better country. Only if the leaders in office could listen keenly to their critics, things would look different for the governance system.
The fact that the state enjoys the monopoly of violence should not be reason for citizens to stop eternal vigilance for accountability. Indeed every time more citizens voice their concerns, there is always someone in deep state that will listen and try and change things for the better. However if the citizens would be quiet at the rampant corruption, then they become accomplices.
Organizing requires resilience, patience, tact among other traits in order to realize positive results. There will be frustrations, there will be threats but the more citizens get engaged, the more there will be positive results.
Following the laid out plans and ensuring that the leaders get to know that the citizens are aware of what needs to happen is critical to the pathways of change.
Conducting audits of the work in progress and ensuring that the process is transparent is a characteristic every citizen should embody in order to ensure results are delivered.
Educating other community members on the plans and programs being implemented will always increase curiosity and participation.
The Constitution has provisions for participatory budgeting processes. In fact any county that does not hold public meetings at ward level to pick the views of the citizens on what development priorities they would like to vote for their area is a contravention of the constitution and as such the national government can be compelled not to release resources to such a county until such meetings happen and documented. The process does not end in such meetings. Social audits are supposed to be conducted by citizens to realize the planned development.
But this is easily said than done. Grass root mobilization and planning is a key component to success when it comes to accountability. Every one must seek to have access to information. The information must be passed on to many members of the community in order to build a critical mass of people that can organize and begin accountability networking. It is through disciplined organizing that the war on graft can be won to see development that is pro people.
Social media is a good space to start from. But the grassroots is where the real power is in building a critical mass. Change does not come to those who seat, keep quiet and wait. Change comes to those that actively go out to seek it. Change comes to those that have empowered themselves with the relevant information. Change does not come by easy and lack of evidence. Seek credible information and use it. Positive change is not built from lies and propaganda. You must always stand for the truths all the time. The truth triumphs over lies and evil.
Do your part.
