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Democracy is a tool to solve real-world problems and make change that positively impacts billions of lives. In episode 3 of our democracy success stories series, our partners in Kakamega County, Kenya explain how the Disability Act is helping foster inclusion and better delivery of public services.
WFD and the Senate Liaison Office in Kenya developed a County Legislative Tracker. This centralised online platform allows citizens to monitor the legislative processes across all 47 counties in Kenya.
The launch of the National Disability Multi-Party Caucus (NDMC) in Kenyan politics signifies a significant step towards inclusion and representation for persons with disabilities (PWDs).
The Kenya Parliament put to use WFD’s Public Debt Management Assessment Toolkit (PDMAT) to enhance its oversight on public debt, identifying crucial reform areas for improved transparency and accountability in financial management.
In Kenya, WFD's programme is enhancing parliament's role in transparency, accountability, and inclusivity, with notable progress in legislative tracking and public debt oversight amidst implementation challenges.
Kenya aims for at least 5% representation of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in elective and appointive bodies, as mandated by Article 54 (2) of its 2010 Constitution. Despite comprising 2.2% of the population, PWDs face systematic exclusion, particularly in politics where efforts for inclusivity remain limited.
The active participation of persons with disabilities in political parties is crucial for promoting social inclusion, strengthening democracy, fostering economic development, and protecting human rights.
The Senate of Kenya, with the support of Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), conducted a self-assessment on its utilisation of post-legislative scrutiny. Here is a breakdown of the findings and recommendations from the evaluation.
After the two years of implementation, the Kenya Inclusive Political Parties (KIPP) programme has registered good buy in and goodwill from its partners. This has led to achievements in the promotion of persons with disability inclusion in Kenyan politics.
WFD hosted a Finnish delegation on a 4-day visit to Kenya informed by the progress and success of the implementation of a disability inclusion programme in the country.
WFD’s work with Kenyan political parties, funded by Demo Finland, helped ensure persons with disabilities (PWDs) are included in political parties’ governing committees. It also helped to remove barriers so they could actively engage in the contestation of elections ahead of the Kenyan general elections in August 2022.
The solution to realize the achievement of PWDs rights is through political representation. WFD in partnership with Demo Finland partners with 13 political parties, 21 Disabled Persons Organizations and Civil Society organizations to strengthen inclusive multiparty democracy in Kenya.
WFD in Kenya is helping strengthen parliament’s role in holding the executive accountable. This is by providing technical support to Senate to respond to opportunities for improving democratic processes and practices.
WFD in Kenya is currently offering direct technical support to 7 county assemblies through the Kenya Devolution Programme (KDP). WFD supports them in strengthening their financial and audit or public expenditure management (PEM) related committees to carry out their functions in a more effective manner.
WFD, under phase II of the Kenya Inclusive Political Parties (KIPP) programme, continues to promote people with disabilities' (PWDs) inclusion in politics. We are doing this by partnering with political parties to ensure they respond to the needs of PWDs within their internal party structures, political commitments, policies, and in elections.
