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In June 2021, WFD hosted a meeting with political parties, disabled persons organizations (DPOs), civil society organizations (CSOs), Parliamentary and County Assembly Caucuses to evaluate commitments and progress of persons with disabilities inclusion by political parties in Kenya.
Despite young people (0-34 years) comprising 75% of Kenya’s population, they represent just 6.5% of MPs in parliament. So, what is blocking their entry? The key hurdles include socioeconomic status, lack of support from political parties, and limited democratic culture during nominations.
Together with Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), WFD is implementing a programme that is supporting Kenyan parliamentarians to prepare for the upcoming Conference of Parties 26 (COP26) in Glasgow, United Kingdom.
Analysing and improving the available relevant bills in Kenya could be a step forward towards promoting persons with disabilities inclusion in politics (PWDs). In March 2021, WFD held a two-day workshop where participants gained in-depth knowledge of the current legal reforms relevant to the inclusion of PWDs in politics; identified the existing gaps within laws; and they were also enabled to undertake advanced public participation initiatives.
Political parties have a key role to play in addressing some of the long-standing barriers facing PWDs. To support political parties to be more inclusive, WFD Kenya facilitated the review of 11 political parties’ documents – including policies and manifestos – to identify the areas where the documents promote or inhibit the inclusion of PWDs in their activities, practices, and processes.
WFD has been working with the parliament of Kenya to continue its journey to become more open and transparent.
Ahead of the 2022 general election in Kenya, persons with disabilities (PWDs) in continue to face systemic exclusion. This presents a big challenge with respect to promoting the rights of PWDs. To help address this challenge, WFD held a series of in-person and online trainings for political parties, disabled persons organizations and civil society organizations.
Excluding persons with disabilities (PWDs) from political processes means that their voices are not adequately heard and reflected in policy decisions. In October 2020, WFD commissioned a new research to better understand the challenges which persons with disabilities (PWDs) in political parties face in their daily lives.
WFD is carrying out its Inclusive and Accountable Programme (IAP) in partnership with Senate and National Assembly. The programme aims to improve the ability of the Parliament of Kenya to effectively address corruption and promote inclusion and accountability.
In 2019, John Kamiri, Secretary General of the Green Congress of Kenya, took part in the Green Talent Accelerator programme. John’s main goal in the programme was to further develop his leadership abilities in his role as a party official.
Anika Jane Dorothy, the Executive Director of the Green Congress of Kenya, visited the UK as a participant in the Green Talent Accelerator. The visit was designed to support Anika in her leadership objectives.
Young people in East Africa are severely underrepresented in politics. In July 2019, David Momanyi, an experienced youth activist, visited the UK Houses of Parliament to share his experience campaigning for more representative governance in Kenya.
Demographic data is essential for effective, responsive and evidence-based legislation.
