We advocate stronger ties for a thriving, secure and stable Kenya for all Kenyans

Within the next month, we will be celebrating Kenya’s Jubilee anniversary. Many of our development partnerships date back over the 50 years since Kenya’s independence. Since then, they’ve grown and are now modern partnerships based on mutual understanding and respect for each other’s sovereignty.

We, Kenya’s Development Partners, met this week with government, private sector and civil society to improve our common understanding of how best we can work together in support of progress and prosperity in Kenya.

In line with aid effectiveness principles, we discussed how we could help deliver the government’s plans to achieve middle income status through Vision 2030.

In 2011, we provided Sh212 billion to education, healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture and natural resources, economic growth and wealth creation, human rights, women’s advancement, and governance.

We recognise Kenya’s great potential and welcome the government’s goal of double digit growth and creating a more competitive, business friendly environment, while preserving sound macro-economic policies.

Our trade ties are central to our relationship; building jobs, growth and prosperity. However growth must be sustainable and benefiting all, particularly the poorest. We are ready to help ensure that growth is sustainable and transparent, as envisioned in the Constitution, including the exploitation of resources in the extractives sector.

Devolution is a crucial part of the Constitution and a unique opportunity to establish democratic and efficient structures closer to the people – to ensure more effective service delivery and distribution of resources. But it will not happen overnight. There is a need to build capacity, political will and public buy-in.

We, the Development Partners, are willing to offer continued support to devolution, including helping to preserve coherence between national and county governments.

The Westgate atrocity was a shock for all of us. We stand by the government and Kenyan people in tackling the causes of terrorism, encourage measures to strengthen security, and applaud Kenya’s contribution towards peace and stability in the region.

Many Kenyans are now living with increased insecurity, caused by ethnic conflict, violence and common crime. We realise that the police work hard under difficult circumstances and highlight the importance of Kenya’s commitment to continued police reform.

We emphasize the need for full respect for the rule of law and human rights, and upholding integrity and accountability. In the current legislative process, we encourage a focus on enabling police in tackling crime, and caution against allowing more latitude for the use of force.

We also support the Kenyan people in the efforts to fight impunity and corruption, and welcome the government’s commitment to fulfilling its international obligations. We encourage national judicial processes to be initiated and are ready to provide support to generate justice to the victims of post-election violence.

The report by the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission provides for restorative justice. It is justice, together with an intensified fight against corruption and mismanagement that is critical for democracy, a growing economy and lasting peace.

In Kenya, as elsewhere, democracy rests on the mutually supporting pillars of equality, rule of law and fundamental freedoms. Indeed, a vibrant democracy thrives from a community of consenting and dissenting voices. We welcome the intention to review the recent Information and Communications Bill, and encourage efforts to ensure that the freedom of the media is protected.

We encourage similar considerations of the recently proposed amendments to the Public Benefit Organisations Act, remembering that it is often to civil society organisations that the poorest Kenyans turn for support.

As these two Bills are presently drafted, they could narrow the democratic space so clearly provided for in the Constitution, and restrict or even prevent the delivery of assistance in areas such as humanitarian aid, health, education, agriculture, implementation of the Constitution and other areas targeting marginalised groups.

These areas are all critical to the attainment of Vision 2030 and its second Medium-term plan. This could ultimately risk curtailing Kenya’s economic progress.

Signed by Ambassadors, High Commissioners, Country Directors and Chargé d’affaires from: African Development Bank, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, The World Bank.