| dc.description.abstract | The main purpose of this study was to carry out a critical analysis of the ',frican Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) on Governance in Kenya. A Combination of desk research and interviews with relevant informed key people in respective sectors was done. Some of these informed key people did not want to give information or their opinions altogether. There was use of evidence from existing reports which included APRM documents, Government of Kenya (GOK) documents, journal articles, theses and dissertations which were relevant to this study, books, newspapers, magazines and relevant internet sources. The study found that APRM is viable to tackle the governance problem in Kenya. This will however depend on good and sound leadership coupled with the APRM putting in place mechanisms to ensure compliance with its standards of governance. The study also established that the review process in Kenya was representative, with the APRM Task Force consulting with the members of the National Governing Council (NGC) which comprised civil society organizations, the media, political parties, academia, and faith based and human rights organizations, trade unions, women and youth groups, minorities, disadvantaged groups, persons with disabilities, persons living
with HIV I AIDS and associations of journalists.
The above is evidence that indeed most stakeholders were represented, which includes policymaking, non-policy making and other groups in Kenya. Interviews with staff at APRM Kenya Secretariat that programmes are in place to further popularize New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and its APRM.
It however emerged that the composition of the NGC was not proportionate with allegations that the NGO Council with eight members in the NGC were able to elect the chairperson from amongst them and they also gained advantage in deliberations due to their numerical advantage hence put the democracy of the process in question. In view of these findings, the study recommended that the Government of Kenya (OOK) needed to tackle corruption decisively and the corrupt leadership problem by ensuring a screening process for leaders.
The study also recommended that the OOK implement the policies and procedures/structures that have been put in place under the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) regime.The study recommended for the APRM the formulation of mechanisms to ensure compliance for countries that have already acceded to the peer review process and have been reviewed. The APRM should come up with incentives to offer participating countries to meet its standards of governance. In the area of structure it was recommended that the APRM consider in future doing reviews independently of other organizations. Participation by stakeholders should be representative and proportionate. Mechanisms should be put in place to ensure countries pay up their contributions to enable the secretariat to be self reliant and sufficient financially to avoid manipulation by donors. It was also recommended that in future independent reviews be put in place by organizations for example the vibrant civil society in Kenya to avoid the situation where the APRM is the 'only game in town'. | en_US |
