Strengthening Good Governance

projekt beendet

Strengthening good governance in KenyaCommissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)Country: KenyaLead executing agency: Office of the Attorney-General and Department of JusticeOverall term: 2017 to 2020ContextWith annual economic growth of more than five per cent, Kenya is a driving force for the economy of East Africa. However, the country still exhibits social, economic and regional inequalities, with more than a third of the population living below the poverty line. Nevertheless, Kenya is committed to pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda, which aim, among other things, to eradicate poverty.Corruption is the greatest obstacle to socio-economic growth in Kenya, which ranks 144th of 180 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (as at 2018). Due to the extent of corruption in the public sector, Kenya is still falling short in its attempts to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda. This is reflected above all in the provision of public services, which is inadequate at national and local levels.The availability of data for monitoring the SDGs is also a problem. Without high-quality data, progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda and as such in eradicating poverty cannot be assessed effectively at either national or local levels.ObjectiveThe provision of public services at national and local levels has improved in line with the principles of good governance and in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.ApproachThe project takes a holistic approach along the anti-corruption chain of prevention, disclosure, investigation, prosecution, judicial process and the return of illegally acquired assets.It is working on improving the management of public complaints and the transferral of state functions to the local level, above all by boosting local authorities’ abilities to comply with the rules of transparency and accountability. It also supports the prosecution, legal process and punishment of corruption cases, as well as the return of illegally acquired assets.In addition to the Office of the Attorney-General and the Department of Justice, other implementing partners of the project include the Administrative Justice Commission, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and selected local governments. The project also cooperates on a case-by-case basis with other stakeholders at national and local levels, and with civil society.The project strives to improve the way in which the SDGs are monitored. The aim is to raise the amount of data available for monitoring the development goals of the 2030 Agenda by using unofficial data. Implementing partners at national level include the statistics office and the planning and statistics department of the Ministry of Finance as well as the relevant departments of the local governments. The private sector and civil society are also involved.ResultsIn the 2017/18 fiscal year, the project supported the Administrative Justice Commission in the provision of training to 127 authorities, the purpose of which was to improve complaints management. So far, employees from a total of 237 authorities have received training and obtained the corresponding certification.In all 2,482 citizens have also been taught how to submit public complaints. This led to 18 collective petitions against the inadequate provision of public services, eight of which were processed to the satisfaction of the citizens and a resolution was reached.The project supports the introduction of an electronic procurement system, the Integrated Financial Management and Information System (IFMIS), to improve transparency and accountability. 550 employees at national and local levels as well as 10,000 suppliers have benefitted from training in the use of the system. Today, some 100,000 suppliers are registered in the system, and 91.8 per cent of the development budget for three local governments is now administered with the use of IFMIS.The project has supported the establishment of the Assets Recovery Agency and trained a total of 90 employees of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission. As such, the project contributed to the recovery of assets worth around EUR 7.6 million in the period from July 2016 to September 2018.

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