The civil society today

Until 2002, everybody was all praises for the civil society and its work...of course even the people who fought it, knew that they had no point, because the movement towards democratisation of kenya was on top gear.

After that, and until today, we as a society are stuck with the 2002 image and euphoria.

For starters, the failure of the kibaki first administration, the bedevilled MOU, the fruit wars of 2005 and the polarisation of the country were made even more poignant by the fact that it was seen that civil society had been divided along ethnic and other lines and inevitably had taken partisan positions.

the pre-2002 civil society leaders were protangonists in public and therefore the line between reformist and non-reformist was obliterated, and since these people had been perceived as the leaders of the civil society, the leaders of the reform agenda, a harsh judgement was passed on civil society: that it comprises of, at the best, self seekers

the most tragic thing about this has been that there are two views that have never left the table: that the civil society post-2002 was weakened, and that the civil society is not providing leadership on national discourse. this view has constantly been propangated by the media, the political leadership and some elements in the general populace.

the fact that the civil society today faces a country which no longer has faith in any institution is not contested, neither is the fact that some soul searching is necessary for all of us, the civil society included.

the civil society, its methodology in advocacy, its engagement with the larger society and its engagement with the political leadership and the media has changed, greately so.

I think therefore that this is the genesis of the problem ... that people do not understand the "new" civil society and its ethos, that the leaders of the "new" civil society are not those of yesterday, and therefore that you can not use the yardsticks of yesterday to measure today.

face it: people, viewpoints, institutions and processes change. one must appreciate change before proceeding to make highfalutin pronouncements.

today for instance, we face the fastest clawing back of democratic gains made so far...some say it is a conspiracy of the ruling elite, others say it is a failure by the middle class... i think it is neither; it indeed is fermenting of dissent that is being catalysed


may we avoid stasis as this is an incurable a malady as there can be.