USAid warning to 'partisan' civil society ruffles feathers

 By STEPHEN MAKABILA

Civil Society Organisations that engage in partisan politics ahead the forth-coming General Election risk losing multi-million shillings in funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAid).

With the expected elections later this year or early next year, USAid has issued guidelines on Political Conflict of Interest for CSOs in pursuit of political non-partisanship in the election campaigns.

While USAid recognises the civil society has an important role to play in contributing to transparent, free and fair elections, it believes to be successful and credible in this role, CSOs must maintain the highest standards of non-partisanship.

"The important consideration for CSOs and CSO workers is to clearly distinguish (delineate) their personal political views from the opinions that they promote in their capacity as CSO leaders. Article 8 of the NGO Code of Conduct, 1995 (which deals with the value of probity) requires NGOs to at all times avoid any conflict between official and private interests," reads the guidelines in part.

County dialogue

However, the move has sparked sharp reaction from the National Council of NGOS which feels CSOs, some of which are its members, have the right to play part in the electioneering process and cannot be mere spectators.

"The country requires visionary and clean leaders who can be trusted by the public to fight against corruption and turn around the economy. I have directed all NGOs, civil society groups and social movements in the 47 counties to form consortia and begin co-ordinating county dialogues with all sections of population to prepare them for the elections," said the council chairman Ken Wafula.

However, Mars Group Chief Executive Officer Mwalimu Mati backs USAid action, saying the civil society has no business meddling in politics.

"Civil society groups should leave politics to politicians and concentrate on their core projects," said Mr Mati.

Head of Political Science at the University of Nairobi, Dr Adams Oloo, however, notes there is nothing wrong for the civil society to take a political stand on who to support in elections.

"Officials of these groups are Kenyans and they have a right to fully participate in guiding the public on those who have the right credentials to lead," added Dr Oloo.

He said restricting them when it comes to political issues beats the logic of their existence because they are there to serve the interests of the larger public.

Full Compliance

USAid funding to Kenyan CSOs is channelled through Act-Kenya. Henry Kuria, an official at the Act-Kenya Nairobi office, said most foreign donor agencies demand that CSOs be politically non-partisan.

"Most other funding organisations have also put it as a requirement. We have to be non-partisan or those who violate the rule lose the funding," said Mr Kuria.

The USAid guidelines demand CSO staff involved in the election campaigns (either supporting a political party or candidate or as campaign managers or mobilisers) not to be involved in direct project implementation. On the other hand, staff or board members who choose to run for elections should take a leave of absence from the organisation for the duration of the campaign, while CSOs staff who are offering themselves for election should not make reference to the CSO/NGO in the context of promoting their qualifications for election.

"Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in termination of grants," read the guidelines in part.

It’s coincidental CSOs members are being constraint not to use their positions to politic, just around the same time some key politicians, among them Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta had expressed concerns over political activities of some CSOs.

Angered aspirant

About three weeks ago, while addressing a prayer rally in Eldoret, Uhuru had noted it was the public to decide whether they would be on the presidential ballot and not civil society groups.

"Do we listen to NGOs or Kenyans to decide whether we should run or not? Uhuru asked at the Eldoret prayer meeting in reaction to a stand taken by some civil society groups over the fate of his and Eldoret North MP William Ruto’s presidential ambitions following confirmation of ICC charges against them.

The DPM repeated the same remarks at a similar Mombasa prayer rally a week later.

Mr Wafula, however, maintains NGOs and the civil society will no longer play its traditional role of dispensing civic education to the public and stepping aside to let politicians confuse and mislead the voters.

"This time round we intend to play it hard. We will dispense civic education and guide the masses on whom to vote right from the county to the national levels. We shall serve as building blocks for the emergence of true democratic government of the people of Kenya as well as serve as vanguards of the interests of the citizens," added Wafula. He says NGOs, social movements, civil society and trade unions contribute an estimated Sh250 billion to the country’s GDP and, therefore, have a moral duty to participate in deciding who becomes leaders.

County dialogue

"There are a number of politicians facing corruption-related proceedings in various courts in the country and it is the role of the civil society to get this information to the public as tools of vetting. Some of them may have been acquitted under suspicious circumstances and are therefore still not eligible to contest under chapter six of the constitution on leadership and integrity," he added.

He said the NGO council and its membership together with other progressive civil society groups and social movements will work with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, Commission on the Administration of Justice and Kenya National Commission on Human Rights among others to block candidates who do not strictly meet the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution are not cleared to seek public offices.