Kenya marked 10 years since the inception of the devolved system of governance. The event was held on August 15th – 19th in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County. Under the theme: Driving Transformation from the local level: County Governments as the center of economic development, the conference provided an opportunity to reflect on the ten years of devolution and explore locally and internationally recognized methodologies for strengthening systems to enhance transformational service delivery in counties.
ActionAid International Kenya prides itself on the successes that have been realized because of devolution. This is informed by the fact that ActionAid Kenya was a key player during the constitution review process in 2010, which saw the promulgation of the new constitution that brought devolution. During this time, ActionAid Kenya participated by mobilizing communities through civic education, culminating in over 12,000 submissions on various positions and disseminating copies of the draft to communities.
ActionAid Kenya participated strategically at the conference through an exhibition where we hosted several county heads and delegations at our stand. Those who visited our stand got a chance to learn more about ActionAid work, we also discussed partnership opportunities. In addition, ActionAid Kenya had a team of delegates who engaged funding partners, delegations from both the national and county government, corporates, and foundations. The event was graced by the President of the republic of Kenya, H.E Dr William Ruto
The last 10 years of devolution brought hope and impact to communities. However, challenges st
ill hinder the full realization of a just and democratic governance for access to Gender Responsive Public Service. As counties look forward to the next decade, ActionAid Kenya looks forward to strategically partnering with county governments to ensure the provision of Gender Responsive Public Services targeting women and their communities living in poverty and exclusion.
ActionAid International Kenya has footprint in 22 out of the 47 counties in Kenya.
Author: Ezra Kiriago, Communications Coordinator. ActionAid Kenya