UN calls for governance set-up that does not focus on the elite

Delegates follow the proceedings at Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Kisumu during day one of the Africities Conference on May 17, 2022. [Michael Mute, Standard]

United Nations officials have called for increased investment in people-centered local governance structures that are responsive and inclusive.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Africities Summit, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Coordinator, Governance and Peace Building Roselyn Akombe said there was increasing demand for local governance systems to deliver essential services to people in an inclusive manner.

Dr Akombe said such governance systems were fundamental in ensuring service delivery, building social capital and strengthening the social contract. “Basic functionality of state governance is a prerequisite to good governance, she said. “Strengthening states’ core governance functions is an important investment in public administration and service delivery, and in enhancing resilience, strengthening the social contract, and building peaceful and resilient societies.”

Dr Akombe said to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063 for Africa, development plans should focus on both the national and local levels.

She added that besides enhancing state governance capacity that helps African countries improve service delivery, African governments also needed to tackle the challenge of the legitimacy of authority, peace, and stability to advance economic development and promote national and social cohesion.

“If local communities are well organised and cohesive, they too can play a critical role in strengthening social cohesion and sustaining peace in fragile settings because most conflicts tend to occur at the local level, that is, ethnic conflicts and land disputes,” she said.

UNDP Resident Representative in Kenya Walid Badawi noted that public trust in institutions continues to decline, especially at the national level, as the public now looks to local governments to deliver essential services.

“Building trustworthy, accountable and inclusive institutions to address concerns over the fraying social contract and the associated governance and peace building challenges is critical,” Mr Badawi said.

He said that broadening the focus on governance from the political elite to a people-centered approach ensures that governments pay much more attention to economic governance, local governance and delivery of public services that speak to the needs of the majority.