Kenya : democracy and political participation : a review by AfriMAP, Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa and the Institute for Development Studies (IDS), University of Nairobi / Karuti Kanyinga.

Includes bibliographical references.

Part I Kenya: Democracy and Political Participation Discussion Paper -- Summary -- Introduction -- 1 Kenya's transition to democracy -- 2 Ethnicity and democratic participation -- 3 Citizenship, identity and the politics of belonging -- 4 The electoral system and political parties -- 5 Concentration of power and abuse of the rule of law -- 6 Local self-governance and the devolution of power -- Conclusion and recommendations -- Part II Kenya: Democracy and Political Participation Main Report -- Executive summary -- A. Introduction -- B. The socio-political context -- C. The constitutional framework and citizenship rights -- D. Public participation -- E. Electoral reforms -- F. Political parties -- G. The legislature -- H. General conclusion -- 1 Socio-political and historical background -- 2 The constitutional framework and international law -- A. International instruments -- B. Domestication of international instruments -- C. Conclusion and recommendations -- 3 Citizenship and inequalities -- A. Citizenship and international law -- B. The constitution and citizenship laws -- C. Non-discrimination and affirmative action -- D. Efforts to introduce affirmative action -- E. The constitution and representation of women -- F. Protection of persons living with disabilities -- G. Protection of minorities and marginalised groups -- H. Immigrants and refugees -- I. Conclusion and recommendations -- 4 Participation in the policy process -- A. Freedom of expression and the media -- B. Media regulation -- C. Freedom of association -- D. Access to information -- E. Civil society's participation in public policy development -- F. Conclusion and recommendations -- 5 Elections -- A. Legal and institutional framework -- B. Election administration -- C. Constituency delimitation -- D. Voter registration and participation -- E. Voter education -- F. The electoral system -- G. Electoral malpractices -- H. 2007 general elections -- I. Election observation -- J. Validity of results -- K. Election petitions -- L. The electoral system under the Constitution of Kenya 2010 -- M. Conclusion and recommendations -- 6 Political parties -- A. Legal framework -- B. Principal parties contesting for office -- C. Internal party democracy -- D. Direct nominations -- E. Policy development and implementation -- F. Party financing -- G. Ethnicity and political parties -- H. Women's representation in political parties -- I. Party competition and the role of the opposition -- J. Political parties under the constitution -- K. Conclusion and recommendations -- 7 The legislature -- A. The legislature in pre-independent Kenya -- B. The legislature in post-independence Kenya -- C. Membership, remuneration and support -- D. Remuneration and support -- E. Law-making and debate -- F. Oversight role -- G. Parliamentary reform -- H. The role of parliamentary committees -- I. Public participation in the legislature -- J. Control and audit of National Assembly finances -- K. Conclusion and recommendations -- 8 Provincial and local governments -- A. The Provincial Administration -- B. Local government institutions -- C. Relationship between central and local governments -- D. Local government elections -- E. Financing of provincial and local governments -- F. Access to information -- G. Local government and participatory democracy -- H. Oversight of provincial and local executives -- I. The constitution and devolved government -- J. Conclusion and recommendations -- 9 Traditional authorities -- A. Pre-colonisation -- B. The colonial era -- C. The post-colonial era -- D. Development of traditional authority -- E. Traditional authorities and the constitution -- F. The role of traditional leaders in public life -- G. Conclusion and recommendations -- 10 Development assistance and democratisation -- A. Access to information on development assistance -- B. Trends in development assistance -- C. Conditions for development assistance -- D. International aid for democratic development -- E. Harmonisation of financial resources -- F. The GJLOS Reform Programme -- G. Conclusion and recommendations.

The active and meaningful participation of citizens in public affairs is the distinguishing feature of democratic societies, which are judged by the extent to which governments open up to citizen involvement in public affairs and the space they give for citizens to hold the government accountable. It is because of this that citizens in Kenya and Africa in general continue to demand increased space for participation. This report is about the challenges of participatory democracy in Kenya; it assesses the state of democracy and participation in the country. It examines the institutional and legislative processes that would contribute to the consolidation of democracy and political participation. The report explores the available instruments, such as the Constitution of Kenya (2010), to enhance democracy and people's political participation. The report identifies impediments to Kenya's democratic consolidation, with the most important challenges identified as ethnicity and identity politics, the electoral system of first-past-the-post, and the dominance of the executive. The report notes that ethnicity is a symptom of the structure and use of political power. Specifically, the interplay of ethnicity and the competition for executive power have constrained public participation and the democratic transition in general.