USAID/OTI Kenya Quarterly Report
|
|
October - December 2010 |
Printer Friendly (385kb - pdf) |
Program Description
The USAID Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) Kenya program started in June 2008 to help contribute to a stable Kenya. The program continues to support critical reforms to end government-supported systematic impunity and prevent a return to the type of violence that occurred in Kenya following the 2007 election and to take prompt steps to address the underlying causes of instability. In pursuit of effective reform, the program aims to enable public institutions to undertake reforms and to manage instability and uncertainty while also mobilizing the public, youth, and key change agents to organize for change and demand accountability. The program is implemented by Development Alternatives Inc., which conducts small-grants activities.
Activities
National Youth Forum – The second National Youth Forum (NYF) was held November 10-12 at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in downtown Nairobi. The gathering brought 700 Kenyan youths together to discuss their future and their place in the future of the country. This year's forum included delegates from each of the country's 47 newly created counties. The forum's theme, Ni Wakati Wetu, Jukumu kuu ni Letu (Our time is now – the greater responsibility is ours), was a call for the youth of Kenya to take the initiative in pushing for reforms, especially following the ratification of the new constitution. At the first NYF, held in November 2009, the participants resolved to demand accountability and implementation of political reforms.
Peace Caravans – OTI continues to organize urban professionals and other concerned citizens from the Rift Valley and other communities in Kenya to bring stability to constituencies often subjected to politically motivated ethnic violence. The President's Office and the National Steering Committee for Peace Building and Conflict Resolution recognized OTI's Peace Caravan work with a plaque acknowledging the program's role in supporting peace during the constitutional referendum process.
Road Shows for Reform – OTI held the fourth and fifth Reform Road Show tours during the quarter. The Road Shows are designed to increase public awareness of the need for reform and to stimulate public demand for reform. The fourth tour visited the cities of Nakuru, Naivasha, and Nyahururu in the Lower Rift Valley region. A main message was that the International Criminal Court (ICC) process is essential to efforts to end impunity and begin the long process of recovering from the violence, bad leadership, and corruption that has followed the 2007 election. The fifth Road Show was held in Nairobi and its environs and took place simultaneously with the second National Youth Forum.
Country Situation
International Criminal Court – On December 15, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno Ocampo, announced the names of six individuals he intends to prosecute for their roles in the 2007–08 post-election violence: William Ruto, Member of Parliament (MP) and suspended Minister for Higher Education; Uhuru Kenyatta, MP and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister; Henry Kosgey, MP and Minister for Industrialization; Francis Muthaura, MP and Head of Public Service; Major General Mohammed Hussein Ali, former Police Commissioner; and Joshua Arap Sang, a KASS FM radio host. The six will be called before the court if the judges find reasonable grounds for the cases to proceed. The judges may choose to issue arrest warrants or orders to appear once they decide whether the cases presented by the prosecutor rise to the level of crimes against humanity.
On December 23, Kenyan parliamentarians approved a motion to withdraw the country from the Rome Statute, which subjects Kenyans to the ICC's authority. Following a nearly unanimous vote, the motion awaits action by the executive branch. Criticism of the motion has been widespread. The current ICC process, however, will continue. Notwithstanding the parliamentary action, if the Pre-Trial Chamber approves Prosecutor Ocampo's applications, the ICC will move forward with the trials.
Security Situation – Citizens in the Rift Valley and other potentially volatile areas remained calm following the ICC announcement. The government pre-positioned security personnel in potentially volatile communities to restrain violence.
National Youth Forum – The second National Youth Forum, which was supported by OTI, came under fire from government officials, including Prime Minister Raila Odinga and President Mwai Kibaki. The officials claimed that U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger was using the event to promote political activities geared toward the downfall of the government. A group of young people from Eldoret staged a protest, demanding Ambassador Ranneberger's resignation because they deemed his actions contrary to the welfare of the Kenyan state. The accusations erupted after Wikileaks released U.S. Embassy diplomatic cables discussing Kenya, its President, and Prime Minister.
Drug Trafficking – Ambassador Ranneberger released a list of individuals banned from travel to the United States because of their involvement in drug trafficking. The list included MPs, a cabinet minister, and a coastal-region businessman. Gitobu Imanyara, an MP who tabled a parliamentary report showing the extent of drug trafficking in Mombasa and the involvement of the police, supported the action. The Prime Minister confirmed the gravity of the trafficking situation and forwarded the names of suspects to the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission. Currently, a number of MPs are under investigation for drug-trafficking activities, and the Assistant Minister for Trade has stepped aside while investigations take place.
Grants Summary
To date, OTI, through its implementing partner Development Alternatives, has funded 289 small-grant and technical assistance activities totaling $15,021,458 million. The chart below breaks down funding by sector.
| Total Grants for OTI/Kenya through 12/31/2010 (US$) |
 |
Upcoming Events
| Early 2011 |
- |
ICC judges decide whether to arraign six suspects named by the court's prosecutor |
Highlights
National Youth Forum – The second National Youth Forum (NYF), held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi from November 10–12, brought together more than 700 delegates representing over 20,000 grassroots youth organizations with more than 1.5 million members that come from every corner of the country and bridge a spectrum of religious, political, gender, cultural, ethnic, and professional divides. The youth delegates debated key issues, shared experiences, received advice from experts, and resolved that it is the constitutional responsibility of every citizen to respect, uphold, and protect the new Constitution of the Republic of Kenya.
|
| County representatives at the second National Youth Forum formulate an action plan.
|
| |
The theme of the forum, Ni Wakati Wetu, Jukumu kuu ni Letu (Our time is now – the greater responsibility is ours), emphasized the idea that the youth of Kenya have a responsibility to press for the implementation of the constitution, which was signed on August 27, 2010. Forum participants acknowledged that the new constitution has ushered in a new focus on the role of the country's youth—particularly with regard to equity, development, and governance—by creating and expanding room for youth participation.
However, the forum was criticized by government officials, including the President and Prime Minister, who claimed the event was being used by the U.S. Ambassador to foment a youth rebellion.
The first National Youth Forum was held in November 2009 and gave attendees an opportunity to voice demands for accountability and the implementation of Agenda 4 reforms, which helped set the stage for the constitutional referendum.
Reform Road Shows – OTI took the fourth and fifth rounds of the Reform Road Show to the Rift Valley Province towns of Nakuru, Naivasha, and Nyahururu, and to Nairobi and its environs. The Road Shows continued to push for Agenda 4 reforms, enlisting local musicians, dramas, the Kenya Burning photography exhibition, caravans, and facilitated discussions to convey the message. The fourth round of Road Shows ran from October 28 to November 4 and sought to educate attendees about the ICC and provide Kenyans with a fuller understanding of the process as the court delves into the events following the 2007 election. The fifth round of Road Shows was held in Nairobi and ran concurrent with the National Youth Forum. The Road Show activities were geared toward young people, calling on them to take responsibility for seeing that the new constitution is implemented, as they stand to receive the greatest benefit from its implementation.
Promoting Peace and Economic Recovery by Empowering Youth – Post-election clashes in January 2008 emboldened the country's gangs of unemployed youths, and young people raised in slums are still frequently lured into gangs in the absence of prospects of upward mobility. To motivate young Kenyans toward productive pursuits, USAID/OTI provided assistance to the Eastleigh Community Center, through the Yes Youth Can! program, to provide training to 152 Eastlands youths between the ages of 15 and 25. The Yes Youth Can! program supports youth-led recovery and development in areas that experienced post-election violence as well as in areas where conditions could lead to violent outbreaks in the future. Following the skills training activities, participants prepared personal business plans, identifying opportunities for income generation. Ten of the participants who completed the program then received seed funding from a microfinance institution to implement their plans.
Program Appraisal
The OTI program remains a spearhead for U.S. foreign policy initiatives in Kenya. The program has provided support to positively empower the youth of Kenya as well as assistance to efforts to facilitate peace and stability during the constitutional referendum and the recent ICC activities. The program is playing an integral role in furthering U.S. priorities in Kenya, and its effects are felt both at high levels of government and at the grassroots level.
|
| Youth for Peace used the organizing skills gained during OTI-supported training to stage a community cultural day and raise awareness of national issues.
|
| |
OTI will continue to support nongovernmental organizations and government institutions that promote a pro-reform agenda. In addition, two primary area of interest to the program are—
- The youth of Kenya. OTI will continue supporting the USAID Mission's and the U.S. Embassy's efforts to assist Kenyan youth organizations as they provide young people with positive alternatives.
- Kenyan institutions, such as the Independent Interim Elections Commission, which will need quick and ready support.
Next Steps
Program priorities for next quarter include the following:
- Supporting efforts to implement the new constitution, and
- Facilitating peace and stability in the face of ICC actions.
For further information, please contact:
Megan German, Program Manager - Kenya, 202-712-1997, mgerman@usaid.gov.
|
