KENYA: MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS


primary school education quality control;


vii. Provide real time data on development;


viii. Incorporate resilience measures in the post 2015 development agenda;


ix. Address retrogressive development agenda;


x. Establish markets for farm produce and improve access to financing.


National civil society consultations In June 2013, the line ministry organized forums for consultations with civil society organizations carrying out various programmes in a wide range of sectors in Kenya. A total of 54 civil society organizations attended the meeting held at the coastal town of Mombasa. A similar meeting involving civil society organizations representing the 47 counties was held in Nakuru. The civil society organizations prioritized the following areas for the post 2015 development agenda: i. Infrastructure development; ii. Inclusion of the special needs of people with disabilities, the youth and the aged;


iii. Need to address gender based violence; iv. Governance;


v. Identify the role of special knowledge, particularly in the area of traditional medicine; vi. Adoption of the rights-based approach do development across all sectors.


National stakeholders meeting To consolidate the views from county and civil society organizations, the government organized a conference with government ministries, development partners, private sector representatives, civil society organizations and media as participants. The conference identified weaknesses in the MDGs’ implementation framework, including inadequate


“A major


mainstreaming mechanism that has been applied with good results for the MDGs is the active engagement of parliamentarians in the budget process, and the Parliament committee system.”


participation of stakeholders – including Members of Parliament – in the implementation framework and a strong focus on social sectors that crowded out investments in agriculture, infrastructure and industrial development. Other weaknesses included the undue focus on national averages at the expense of regional inequalities and the fact that key issues related to development such as climate change, conflicts at region, the place of good governance, and the value of good planning data, were absent.


Recommended areas of focus The national stakeholder meeting therefore encouraged the government to target five key areas including the following: (i) Agriculture and food security For agriculture to play its role in poverty reduction in the post 2015 development agenda, adequate attention must be paid to climate change and agricultural produce marketing. These require a shift toward climate smart agriculture to reduce the impacts of climate change on agriculture. (ii) Employment and enterprise


development


The participants appreciated the role of a strong economy in the provision of employment opportunities, particularly to the youth. It was agreed that it would be prudent for the government to invest in the agricultural sector based industries to develop the rural areas and provide gainful employment.


(iii) Education and gender The consultative meetings came to the conclusion that it was necessary to emphasize the need for universal education for all including people living with disabilities, while at the same time ensuring provision of quality education. On gender, the government needs to bring on board measures to address gender based violence. (iv) Health


The health sector needs to focus on reducing the impact of non communicable diseases such as cancer, diabetes and blood pressure and emphasize the role of traditional knowledge in health management. The government was urged to maintain focus on the gains made in maternal and child healthcare. (v) Environment


There is still a high proportion of Kenyans lacking access to clean water sources and sanitation. The Government must therefore focus on urban waste management, increase national capacity for disaster preparedness and accelerate reforestation.


Conclusion


The relationship between MDGs and SDGs cannot be gainsaid. Sufficient positive gains have been achieved in the implementation of the Millennium development goals, especially in the areas of universal primary education and the fight against HIV/AIDS and other diseases. The shift towards the post 2015 development agenda


– the SDGs has provided an opportunity for the consolidation of the MDGs gains and a line of attack for better development outcomes if the views of the stakeholders are incorporated and implemented with adequate commitment from Government and Development partners. From the foregoing, the transition to the SDGs without a proper framework and mechanisms of mainstreaming parliamentary engagement may orchestrate another catch-up situation for Parliament in Kenya and perhaps in other jurisdictions as witnessed with the MDGs. Country domestication process has largely sidelined Parliament. Sporadic on and off consultations in Kenya to entrench the engagement has not been sustained. This is likely to reverse the gains so far made in terms of mainstreaming the goals into such game changing poverty alleviation and development initiatives of parliamentarians such as the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).


Experience with the MDGs has proved that sensitization and other awareness creation initiatives for parliamentarians guarantee considerable success in the mainstreaming of any developments agenda – local and global. A major mainstreaming mechanism that has been applied with good results for the MDGs is the active engagement of parliamentarians in the budget process, and the Parliament committee system. The presidential system in place today in Kenya adds impetus to the role Parliamentary committee system in the realization of the SDGs. This requires concerted efforts and political goodwill to bring on board the relevant stakeholders, Parliament included.


The Parliamentarian | 2015: Issue One | 17


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