May 10th, 2024 represented a moment for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Kenya, just like the promulgation of the Constitution 2010 – a new moment of promise that must be seized to usher in an era of progress for the Kenyan civil society. It took 11 years and 4months of struggle and efforts including court actions and dialogue between the civil society organization (CSOs) and the government to realize this milestone. This commencement is an important step forward and demonstrates the commitment of current regime and civic society to a future of an enabling environment and broadened democratic space in Kenya. With this law, the people of Kenya and in particular the CSOs will set a positive example for all of Africa and the world.
The PBO Act is intended to revamp the regulatory framework for civil societies in Kenya to create an enabling environment for their establishment and operations. The aim of the legislation is to bring certainty and greater transparency given the challenges that have existed under the NGO Act where the activities of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have been arbitrarily governed and where there was a pervasive risk of deregistration to “silence” those organisations that spoke out on sensitive topics in Kenya. There is also hope that the new legislation which recognises the important role that civil organisations play in society will help bridge the distrust between civil society and the Government of Kenya.
The PBO Act has direct impact on the PBOs (formerly NGOs), international CSOs whose agenda is to benefit the members of society, CSOs registered under other regimes which are not established to benefits its own members. However, to enjoy these benefits the civil society actors together with government must work together to ensure that several milestones are realized. The only way to ensure easy and timely implementation of this law, is to ensure that the CSOs work together.
On 15th May 2024, the CSOs met at Jacaranda Hotel in Nairobi to develop a plan of action that will guide the collaboration among CSOs and between CSOs and government towards implementation of priority components of the PBO Act of 2013. The output of this meeting was a draft working document with clear action points on way forward. The meeting also isolated potential risks that CSOs must appreciate in the efforts towards implementation.
It is against this background, that CFF in partnership with other CSOs plans to host a One-day Forum on 28th May 2024 in Nairobi to broaden participation of CSO leadership towards consolidation of plan of action towards implementation of the PBO Act. This forum will be held in preparation for the 1st PBO Summit scheduled for 13th – 14th June 2024. The Summit will bring together civil society leader from across the country, state agencies, development partners, diplomatic missions to:
a) secure commitments for joint implementation of the PBO Act; and
b) identify gaps and potential huddles for implementation of the PBO Act.
The 28th of May 2024 convening aims to leverage the diversity and capacity of the civil society in catalysing the PBO Act discussions, consultations, and action towards implementation of the law.
Workshop Outputs
a) Build Synergy and commitments towards implementation of PBO Act from CSOs leaders.
b) Clear strategy for engagement and collaboration among CSOs in preparation for the 1st PBO Summit.
Format
The workshop will take the format of panel discussions, plenary, and presentations.
Participants
50-70 participants will be drawn from CSO leaders with expertise and experience on the PBO Act.