Strategies for Reform in Kenya: Development of Equality

Strategies for Reform in Kenya Development of EqualitySTUDENT CHRIS MUGO NDIRANGUREG.NO 1021356QuestionReform agenda in Kenya, committees, parties involved and forward practicesINTRODUCTIONReforms are about bringing positive change in any rustic or administration. Its about becoming better with the removal of false and error or by correcting malpractice, specially of a moral and social kind. Reforms are about enhancing value and qualities. In Kenya various reforms progress to been initiated particularly with the adoption of a new organic law in 2010. Various committees and parties have been involved in the reform agenda.The following then are well-nigh of the reforms initiated in Kenya.Measures to Curb CorruptionAccording to Transparency International degeneration index of 2013 Kenya ranked number 136 out of 177 in the world. This indicates the high level of corruption in the country. Indeed corruption is endemic to Kenya. It has contributed to wastage and misuse of national resources. Thus the new constitution has a number of provisions to allow for stronger checks and balances to curb corruption. for the most part the constitution ensures the supremacy of parliament where parliament scrutinizes the executive to ensure it does not abuse its mandate and also scrutinizing state finances. This ensures no wastage or loss of cash in hand occurs through corruption.Other than parliament the constitution provides for a commission that will work to curb corruption in governing. The establishment of this commission is key in Kenyas reform agenda. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has since been established and given the following amours under the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act, 2011. Some of the functions includeEnsure compliance with, and enforcement of, the provisions of the formation in relation to ethics, integrity and anti-corruptionDevelop and promote standards and best practices in ethics, integrity and anti-corruptionReceive complain ts on allegations of breach of the ethical principles or code of handle by a public officerInvestigate and prosecute any acts of corruptionRecommend appropriate action to be taken against public officers say to have engaged in unethical conductDevelop a comprehensive national strategy to combat corruption and economic crime assist ethics and ethical conduct among public officers, the private sector and the public in general.Decentralization of GovernmentThis arguably is the biggest reform initiated by the constitution. This is the ceding of force play and autonomy by national governments to the counties. The constitution devolves power closer to the mountain at the grassroots. This diffuses political power and avoids on group or ethnic community from dominating the country by winning national elections throughout. Thus preventing political violence as witnessed in the 2007/2008. The constitutions allows for the followingEstablishment of counties that replace the previous admini strative units of provinces and districts.Creation of 47 counties where each county has an executive committee led by a governor and a deputy governor elected for a upper limit of two termsCreation of county assemblies composed of elected members.Devolution of health services, infrastructure among other functions from the national government to the county government. The county governments are also empowered to get down levies and permit fees to support its development needs.The reform agenda of devolution or decentralization of the Government is intended to achieve the following political, social and economic goals byEnhancing the principles of democracyBringing power closer to the people and increase public participation in policy-makingEnable greater responsiveness to the needs and opportunities for people at the grassroots levelEstablish new hubs of economic growth away from the capital cityPromote equitable development across the countryIn ensuring smooth transition of nationa l government functions to county government a County changeal Authority has been formed under the Transition to Devolved Government Act, 2011. The main function of the authority shall be to facilitate a coordinated transition to county governments. Other functions includeFacilitate comprehensive and effective transfer as provided for under the constitutionOversee transfer of assets, liabilities and staff of national governments and local government activity to county governmentsCarry out an audit of the existing assets and infrastructure of the national government and local authorities with respect to devolved functionsDevelop and implement training programmes for county government staffResolve disputes over transition issues between the nation and land county governmentsWomen rights and marginalised groupsThis is one of the major issues in Kenyas reform agenda over the past decade. Women rights groups and marginalised groups have pushed for reforms that would allow for greater pa rticipation and recognition in the running of affairs in the country. This is especially in government political sphere.The major reforms regarding women are entrenched in the new constitution. According to (Mugambi, 2010) the purpose of these constitutional gains on the side of women are to retain their dignity and to promote social justice. The constitution ensures that women are able to pass on citizenship to their children regardless of whether they are married to Kenyans or not, eliminates sex activity discrimination in relation to land and property. The greatest provision in relation to women and of major significance is that the constitution provides that a one third requirement for either gender in elective bodies. This translates to women occupying at least 1/3 in elective institutions. This rule has a major shortcoming as citizens cannot be pressure to elect women in order to achieve the gender threshold. The constitution also provides for the election of women represe ntatives for each county who shall sit in parliament.Marginalised groups have also benefitted from the reforms being initiated in government. These marginalised groups include youth, marginalised communities and the disabled. The constitution provides that for the nomination of members of this group into parliament and county assemblies. The youth have also benefitted from the creation of funds that will enable them to set up businesses and attain income. An vitrine of this is the creation of the Uwezo fund. The government has also formulated a policy of awarding contracts and tenders to youth groups and women. The policy states that 30% of the contracts and tenders shall be awarded to women and the youth. mathematical process ContractingThe Kenyan government has been characterized with long bureaucratic procedures, inefficiency, lack of obligation which translates to high levels of corruption and wastage of resources. This results into poor economic performance. The government h as however been adopting measures to change the common bad practices. This government hopes will change the perception and attitude towards government in service delivery. The government has thus initiated reforms in the public sector to gain public combine both locally and internationally. Key to this reforms is performance contracting. mathematical process contracting is a mechanism under the public sector reforms that aims at improving performance of the domain sector through setting clear objectives. It involves setting simple, measurable, accurate, realistic and cartridge clip-bound targets. Specifying agent performance in terms of results and assigning accountability for those results, increasing transparency and accountability in public institutions, establishing clear reporting, observe and evaluation mechanisms of the projects.Performance contracting is done on a quarterly basis. At the end of every quarter, government institutions submit their quarterly reports and fi nally annual report to relevant agency. Feedbacks then are sent to the government institutions for improvements.The first procedure in performance contracting process is target formulation. The government institution sets targets based on the following indicators financial, service delivery, non-financial, operational and dynamics. A work-plan/ implementation schedule based on its departmental plans is formulated. The plan indicates with activities hoped to be accomplished in the contract year. The second procedure is Negotiations. The targets set are negotiated on the basis of available resources, time frame and relevance to existing policy documents. The third is vetting. The targets in this stage are looked at again. The fourth stage is signing. The contract is signed by the relevant heads of the institution and the monitoring agency. This shows commitment by both parties towards the attainment of the set targets. The fifth stage is implementation. The government institutions im plement their agreed contracts and work towards achieving the set targets within the specified time frame. The sixth and final stage is reporting. The reporting is done on a quarterly basis which culminates in an annual report to the relevant reporting authorities.Performance contracting is important because of the following reasonsHelps in fast tracking existing plans in a government institution and a countries strategic plan example Kenyas vision 2030Proper coordination of projects is achieved through the development of intense monitoring and evaluation system so as to achieve the set target pose of higher targets in every contract period leads to improvement in efficiency.Public servants have the opportunity to be recognised thus motivates them to performPerformance contracting has led to the emergence of a competitive Public Service which enhances their growth and development.REFERENCESMugambi, M. (2010, March 28). Constitutional Gains for Kenyan Women. Retrieved March 20, 2014, from Academia.edu www.academia.eduConstitution of Kenya.2010Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act, 2011.Transition to Devolved Government Act, 2011.