NEPAD/APRM has kicked off dissemination of the Second Country Review Report

Video ~ Manoti Isaac

The NEPAD/African Peer Review Mechanism Kenya Secretariat has kicked off dissemination of the Second Country Review Report which was launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta in the year 2019.

This activity takes place in all the 47 counties of Kenya where officers from the Secretariat will engage various stakeholders including County Government officials, National Government Administrative Officers and different interest groups.

The Second Country APRM Report was borne out of an extensive review process under

the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

The Mechanism is a voluntary Governance

“Self-Assessment” by African countries, which was agreed upon by African Union (AU)

and adopted in 2003.

Speaking in Nakuru on Monday during the launch of the dissemination,Nakuru County Commissioner Erastus Mbui termed the process an important framework for good governance.

He called on Nakuru residents to own up the process.

“I know the value of this process. Let us pick it and disseminate to locals” said Mbui.

Director NEPAD Elias Mbau on his part reiterating the importance of the process.

According to Mbau,the APRM process is key at championing transformative leadership through the sharing of experiences amongst member countries.

He revealed that the third APRM will focus on President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Big 4 agenda.

“We all have a role to ensure this report reaches to the common citizens.As a secretariate we are visiting all the counties to ensure the process is at grassroot” said Mbau.

Mbau also stating that Governors are also buying the idea to be reviewed based on their service delivery.

Sentiments echoed by member Council NEPAD/APRM Ms Nimo Mohammed.

To date thirty-eight countries have

acceded to the mechanism.

Kenya acceded to the APRM in March 2003 and became the first member state to successfully undergo a second peer review, during the AU APR summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January, 2017.

The first country review of Kenya was conducted in 2006 under the leadership of retired President Mwai Kibaki.

Kenya’s Second Country Review Mission was fielded between October and November 2016 and the reviewing team was composed of independent African governance experts.

The team held consultations with a wide range of stakeholders across the country.

The Review Report highlighted milestones the country had achieved since the first review of 2006.

Among them was the promulgation of the constitution of Kenya in 2010 which established the devolved system of government, progressively resolving issues of perceived marginalization.

The 2010 constitution also established constitutional commissions and independent offices in an effort to improve governance and public service delivery.

During the review, Kenya was hailed for its efforts towards economic empowerment of  marginalized groups through initiating various funds notably Women Enterprise Fund,

Youth Enterprise Development Fund and the Uwezo Fund.

Establishment of Huduma

Centre Kenya, as a One-Stop-Shop for efficient public service delivery was also highlighted as a best practice worth emulation across the continent.

In spite of the strong commendations over the various successes and achievements by the country, the review mission and the committee of Heads of State and Government outlined a number of challenges that Kenya needed to address.

These challenges included the slow pace witnessed in the implementation of the two –thirds gender rule, terrorism which posed a major threat to national Security, high cost of the devolved governance system including the ballooning wage bill, management of diversity for national unity especially within the devolved units, corruption and the quest for transformative leadership, youth unemployment, poverty and inequality.

The National Programme of Action (NPoA) is an outline of the President’s commitments on

the implementation of the recommendations of the Country Review Report.

A major development regarding the implementation of the NPoA is that its key elements have been incorporated into the Medium Term Plan (MTP) III and the County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs).

Following the success of APRM at the continental and national level, it has been recommended that the mechanism be cascaded to the sub national level.

In view of this, the NEPAD/APRM Secretariat has established the County Peer Review Mechanism

(CPRM), which is a multi-agency instrument aimed at promoting good governance in the counties in line with the APRM principles.

Up to eight counties have been selected for piloting of the CPRM in the year 2020.

The selection of the pilot counties considered representation of the eight former provinces of Kenya.

story ~ Preston Mambili