European Parliamentarians for Africa

From 11-18 February 2008 AWEPA sent a mission to Kenya to assess AWEPA’s response to the crisis in Kenya’s parliamentary democracy following the highly controversial elections at the end of December 2007.

AWEPA was very encouraged to learn that since this mission, on Thursday 28 February, President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga agreed to a power-sharing agreement, where Mr. Odinga is expected to assume the newly created position of Prime Minister. This has been widely greeted as a great step forward by the people of Kenya, and AWEPA extends warm wishes to both sides for the success of the detailed negotiations and constitutional reforms that are to come.

AWEPA’s mission to Kenya took place at the invitation of the newly elected Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Kenneth Marende. The mission was led by AWEPA President, Dr. Jan Nico Scholten accompanied by former MPs, Mr. Joe Frans (Sweden) and Mr. Tony Worthington (UK). At the time of the visit, the former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan was leading mediation talks, assisted by the former South African First Lady, Mrs. Graça Machel, Chair of the AWEPA Eminent Advisory Board. It is these mediation talks that have now resulted in the power-sharing agreement.

The focus of the AWEPA mission was an extremely encouraging visit to the new Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Kenyan Parliament, who both recognised that the events after December 27 had shaken the very foundations of the Kenyan nation. They emphasised that the Parliament will be vital in Kenya’s recovery and in re-establishing national unity, as it is the only institution that represents all the Kenyan people. The AWEPA delegation learnt that the Parliament feels a strong need to empower itself to face the challenges ahead, for example by taking charge of its own calendar so that business is decided by the Parliament rather than by the President.

The Parliament recognises that both short and long term political reforms are urgently needed, and that it must lead the national debate on these issues. Short term changes include reforms to the Electoral Commission of Kenya to ensure its independence from the executive. Long term issues include matters such as land tenure reform and constitutional reform to ensure fair distribution of state resources between ethnic groups. It is also essential to discuss whether a body similar to the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission is needed to help the nation heal.

There is already a consensus that all parliamentarians from different parties and ethnic groups should show that they are working together to move the country forward. Parliament itself will make an effort to forge a better relationship with the people of Kenya by involving civil society, and perhaps by televising parliamentary sittings. The previous Parliament distanced itself from the people over issues such as the salaries and conditions of MPs, and the Parliament’s new leaders recognise that this gap must be closed. One suggestion was to increase community development through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), which funds work of real value to local communities and demonstrates a clear link between Parliament and the people. It is, however, crucial that the CDF is not in any way associated with corruption.

The AWEPA delegation’s talks with the Parliament’s leadership also addressed the substantial needs of the new parliamentarians. Astonishingly, there are approximately 140 new MPs out of about 220 Members, and it is crucial that they are adequately inducted into the House. The Speaker is planning an induction period from 27-29 March, and because of his positive experiences with AWEPA, and AWEPA’s expertise in this area, he invited AWEPA to be a partner in this event. AWEPA warmly welcomes this opportunity to meet with the new Members, establish their needs, and identify concrete areas where AWEPA can offer valuable support to the 10th Kenyan Parliament as it takes a lead in the reconciliation and reconstruction of the nation.