Organised by Transparency International Kenya, over 70 men and women attended a half day public discussion on improving whistle-blower laws and protection mechanisms. In response to four questions, 70 people indicated they have a persistent complaint about corruption, 40 have gossiped about a colleague, 20 have reported a colleague to the relevant authority and only person has ever secured the successful prosecution of someone who has abused their office. The rapid survey ref

Still reflecting on aspects of Obama’s visit last week, three memories will probably linger on from a face to face encounter at the newly built regional Centre for the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) in Kenyatta University. Firstly, the last two years of acute tension between the Kenyan State and PBOs have been costly. Mutual trust and suspicion has probably been at their lowest since the early years of the 1990s and the re-establishment of multi-party democracy. More

An abridged version of this article was published in the The Star Newspaper, 22-07-15 The establishment of a Taskforce to review the Public Benefits Organisations Act (2013) by Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru in November 2014 broke what was becoming a predictable tradition of “NGO legislation by ambush”. It was hoped that consensus could be built on any necessary changes. It was also hoped that the Act, already dormant for two years, would finally be commenced. Seven months fr

By Irungu Houghton[1] As the issue of shrinking CSO space inevitably will come up again during the US Kenya talks this week, it is worth republishing this article that I wrote a few months back that summarises the major tensions between the Kenyan state and its Public Benefits Organisations. It was published by The Star Newspaper. The original paper was written in response to Dr. Alex Awiti’s February 24th article “Has Civil Society outlived its Use” Dr Alex Awiti makes an im

Session Purpose: By the end of the session, we will have; 1)   Reflected on the examples of leadership provided by Professor Wangari Maathai, President Kwame Nkrumah and President Julius Nyerere 2)   Discussed the relevance of achievement (all), Resilience (Maathai), Vision (Nkrumah) and Humility (Nyerere) for the contexts in which the participants come from Facts about Africa[1] One of the oldest civilizations flourished in Egypt Second fastest growing continental economy se

Presentation to SIDA Annual Conference, Stockholm, 23 August 2013 By Irũngũ Houghton[i] Introduction As the cocoon regularly whispers to the caterpillar, it’s time for us to choose.[ii] As the world and within it Africa, prepares to meet the deadline of 2015 set for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, reviews are conducted and new structures are announced, it is worth asserting that ultimately before us, is a set of choices we can make. The real choices live f

2nd August 2012 Fourteen Pan African religious and development organisations react to UN Secretary-General Appointment of the High Level Panel on Post 2015 Development Agenda Fourteen local, national and international organisations working across Africa on the Millennium Development Goals today welcomed the appointment of four African leaders namely Betty Maina, (Chief Executive of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers) and Graca Machel (Current Member of The Elders), Fulber

While the coverage of the AU Summit will undoubtedly be overshadowed by the fierce election of the Chairperson and worrying conflicts in North Kivu-DRC, the Sudans, Somalia and Mali, the Executive Committee are considering a number of other issues most notably; 2013 budget, next Strategic Plan, rate of ratification and implementation of AU Treaties, the African Court of Justice and ECOSOCC among other issues. A budget of US278,226,000 is being considered for 2013 with $122,86

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia July 11, 2012 “We will mobilize millions to name and shame African Governments who fail to implement AU standards, human rights instruments and shared values,” says SOTU coalition State of the Union (SOTU), a coalition of 9 civil society organizations that advocates for the ratification, domestication and implementation of key African Union treaties and legal instruments, has called on all African states who have yet to ratify and implement three key AU

By Irũngũ Houghton Presentation to the 22 women and men Ambassadors playing for the union, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia http://www.sotu-africa.org https://twitter.com/#!/PlayfortheUnion https://www.facebook.com/pages/Play-for-the-Union/352331818118350 The ten Instruments and four policy frameworks The African Youth Charter African Charter on Human and People’s Rights in Africa African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Chi

This paper presented to the Oslo Governance Forum, October 4, 2011 by Irũngũ Houghton, Pan African Director, Oxfam Abstract Two important trends inform the future of Africa. Firstly, the continent is currently experiencing greater economic growth and more effective governance than the previous decade. Secondly, the power and influence of African multi-lateral institutions, most notably, the African Union is on the rise. Whether these two trends lead to a more prosperous, jus