Strengthening Citizens’ Participation in Community Driven Development: The Role of Citizens in Kenya’s Constituency Devolved Fund ACT 2013
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This study aims to make a strong case on the concept of effective citizen’s participation. It contends that the procedural minimum definition of democracy needs to be improved with more emphasis on the aspect of participation. By advancing a strong argument backed by empirical findings on the concept of citizens’ participation, the study hopes to make the concept of participation more meaningful and achievable to regular citizens. Citizen’s participation in community development through devolved funds has been well-studied in South Korea through the Saemaul Undong which was a community-driven development model meant to eradicate poverty and improve the livelihoods of the villagers which later led to rural development. It is a bilateral movement that combines top-down policy initiative and bottom-up people’s movement. In other words, Saemaul Undong is a synthesis between endogenous (local, bottom- up) and exogenous (extra-local, top-down) links to foster learning and innovation processes or much referred to as mental reform movement which is an essential ingredient of the entire program. In bid to enhance development in community participation at the grassroots level, the government of Kenya in 2003 established the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) through an Act of Parliament. This study therefore aims to examine the CDF program as a participatory space within the larger participatory democracy debate. It also aims to identify the structural weaknesses of the CDF program in Kenya which impede effective local citizen’s participation. Indeed, a study that is very timely for Kenya. Following a new constitution which overwhelmingly passed in a national referendum in 2010, the country is expected to go into a full-blown devolution system. Besides the CDF program, there are numerous other democratic spaces opening at local levels where citizen’s participation is constitutionally guaranteed. This study will offer the much needed practical input upon which future citizen participatory programs will be anchored.
Abstract
This study aims to make a strong case on the concept of effective citizen’s participation. It contends that the procedural minimum definition of democracy needs to be improved with more emphasis on the aspect of participation. By advancing a strong argument backed by empirical findings on the concept of citizens’ participation, the study hopes to make the concept of participation more meaningful and achievable to regular citizens. Citizen’s participation in community development through devolved funds has been well-studied in South Korea through the Saemaul Undong which was a community-driven development model meant to eradicate poverty and improve the livelihoods of the villagers which later led to rural development. It is a bilateral movement that combines top-down policy initiative and bottom-up people’s movement. In other words, Saemaul Undong is a synthesis between endogenous (local, bottom- up) and exogenous (extra-local, top-down) links to foster learning and innovation processes or much referred to as mental reform movement which is an essential ingredient of the entire program. In bid to enhance development in community participation at the grassroots level, the government of Kenya in 2003 established the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) through an Act of Parliament. This study therefore aims to examine the CDF program as a participatory space within the larger participatory democracy debate. It also aims to identify the structural weaknesses of the CDF program in Kenya which impede effective local citizen’s participation. Indeed, a study that is very timely for Kenya. Following a new constitution which overwhelmingly passed in a national referendum in 2010, the country is expected to go into a full-blown devolution system. Besides the CDF program, there are numerous other democratic spaces opening at local levels where citizen’s participation is constitutionally guaranteed. This study will offer the much needed practical input upon which future citizen participatory programs will be anchored.
참고문헌 (9)
- Planning from the Bottom Up: Community Based Integrated Rural Development in South Korea, "Brandt, V.", International Council for Educational Development, ~ (1979)
- Gikonyo, W., "The CDF Social Audit Guide : A Handbook for Communities" (2008), Open Society Initiative for East Africa
- Hwang, I., "Management in Rural Change in Korea" (1981), Seoul National University Press
- Kenyans’ Verdict: A Citizens Report Card on the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF), 7, "Institute of Economic Affairs", Institute of Economic Affairs, ~ (2006)
- Mapesa, B. M., "An Assessment of the Management and Utility of the Constituency Development Fund in Kenya" (2006), Institute of Policy Analysis and Research
- "Deepening Democracy at the Grassroots Level: Citizen Participation in State Devolved Funds (CDF) in Kenya" (2013)[URL]
- Park, C. H., "42-45, President Park's speech “God Helps Those Who Help Themselves", ~ (1979)
- Park, J. H., "Process of Saemaul Undong Project Implementation in Korea", Paper presented at International Research Seminar on the Saemaul Movement (1980)
- Rho, W. J., "Triple Helix for Social Innovation: The Saemaul Undong for Eradicating Poverty", Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia, 13(1), pp.39~55 (2014)