Kenya

**__The Teaching of Civics in Kenya__** by Matthew Michels

**Country Overview** The Republic of Kenya, located in East Africa, has a population of more than 41 million people from more than 40 ethnic groups and with a median age of about 19 years old. [i] A former British protectorate, it gained its independence in 1963. Kenya saw increasingly authoritarian rule from the time of independence until the late 1990s and has a history of patrimonialism and rampant corruption. [ii] Reforms efforts allowed credible elections in 2002 when a new party came to power for the first time in the country’s history. [iii]

**Context** Unlike in some other countries, civic education does not take place on a regular basis, nor does it take place in schools. The Kenya National Civic Education Programme (NCEP) was set up on 2000 to run for two years in preparation for the 2002 elections. It was overseen by several consortia of civil society organizations across the country. The second phase of NCEP, known as //Uraia// (or “citizenship” in Kiswahili), was similarly set up in the run-up to the subsequent elections in 2007. [iv]

The main objectives of //Uraia// are “to promote general awareness of democratic principles, the practice of good governance, the rule of law, and constitutionalism.” [v] The ultimate goal of the program is to develop a mature, consolidated, and democratic political culture, in which the Kenyan people possess the attitudes, values, and competences to participate actively and fully in their government and the political process, both long dominated by the wealthy, “old guard” elite. [vi]

**Subject Content Standards** NCEP-I and //Uraia//’s central standard is that the participants develop politically and gain both awareness of the political process and more importantly an increased value on democracy. These programs seek not just to augment the people’s understanding of procedure, but rather also seek an attitudinal shift. Kenya has a long history of repression and ethnic rivalry and division. These two programs aimed at ameliorating the general understanding of government and to bring the people into the fold.

Additionally, it was important to the government and to the implementing consortia of civil society organizations that the civic education not be aimed at promoting a certain political ideology or platform. As Kenyans are inherently suspicious of government and the country has a history of one-party domination, promoting free and open society is a stated goal of the government, even if greater progress needs to be made in other areas. In both rounds of NCEP, external impact evaluations found that this criterion for success had been met. [vii]

Additionally, external impact evaluations revealed that NCEP also cut across demographic divisions, including age, sex, socioeconomic status, and religion. The only area where some difference could be found was in dominant versus less dominant social groups, and in this case, the //less// dominant group experienced greater change, so NCEP had an equalizing effect.

**Materials** The consortia of Kenyan civil society organizations, along with donors and external experts, spent two years collaborating to develop a common curriculum. [viii] This was meant to ensure equality in intervention and information, but was made flexible enough to allow the implementing civil society organization the leeway to contextual its approach to civic education. Some organizations and the Government of Kenya have also developed handbooks and manuals to help guide the implementing organizations.

Generally, the implementing partners have employed a more participatory approach to civic education. Studies and evaluations have found that such participatory approaches, as well as teachers/trainers who are viewed with respect by the participants, produce the greatest and most lasting effects. Some attribute this to such approaches requiring greater attention from the participants, while others argue that teaching about a participatory process without participation undermines the lessons being taught. [ix]

Without many material resources, implementing groups have used a variety of formats, including workshops, skits and theatre, and other public events to communicate democratic messages and promote democratic values. [x]

**Nature of Curriculum** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">The curriculum promoted through NCEP and //Uraia// generally incorporates aspects of the liberal, republican, and diversity models, though some elements are indicative of a critical approach. The curriculum incorporates topics related to identity, namely what does it mean to be a Kenyan. In this sense, the program is trying to promote a common identity. It must, however, acknowledge Kenya’s great diversity and Kenya’s identity as a multiethnic, multicultural society (republican and diversity models). The curriculum also emphasizes process, though (liberal model). Since democracy has not always been present in Kenya, the country is pushing to entrench it quickly. As such, civic education includes discussion of democracy, good governance, the constitution, judicial process, the role of the police, etc. [xi] These are in direct response to Kenya’s historical experience. Kenya is plagued by corruption, including in the judiciary and especially among the police. Part of the ambition of the programs is to create an active and free society that challenges government and participates in it. While it is not to its full extent, this is a trace of the critical model of civic education.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">**Main Issues and Challenges** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">While NCEP and //Uraia// are largely touted as having been successful where they have been implemented, they are not too widespread. It is estimated that they only reached about 15 percent of the population. [xii] Moreover, these programs only operate when elections are forthcoming. This gives the idea that democracy equals elections and that participation means voting.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">The target audience in this is also mainly adults. But half the population is under the age of 19, meaning that young people, who will be eligible to vote soon, will not have the democratic knowledge that may be necessary to bring them into the process. With high youth unemployment and a history of violence, Kenya can ill-afford not to enfranchise these young people.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">The last main challenge Kenya faces pertains to the risk of democratic backsliding. Following the 2007 election crisis, where democratic procedures are believed to have been violated to favor the ruling party, violence broke out in the country, largely along ethnic lines. Impact studies have discovered that those who had received civic education and experienced the violence firsthand were just as inclined to maintain their democratic positions than those who had received the intervention and had not experienced the violence. This is an indicator that civic education is resilient and can have a mitigating effect on internal conflict and strife. Kenya must ensure that it takes steps to avoid future backsliding, address ethnic divisions, and continue to its civic education to help mitigate the consequences in the event that a similar event does occur.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 16px;">Bibliography <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Central Intelligence Agency. (2011). CIA World Factbook: Kenya. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ke.html

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Finkel, S.E. and Horowitz, J. (2010). Civic Education and Democratic Backsliding in the Wake of Kenya’s Post- 2007 Election Violence. Paper presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Political Science Association, Washington, D.C.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Finkel, S.E. and Smith, A.E. (2011). Civic education, political discussion, and the social transmission of democratic knowledge and values in a new democracy: Kenya 2002. //American Journal of Political Science 55//(2), pp. 417–435.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">U.S. Agency for International Development. (2003). //The Impact of the Kenya National Civic Education Programme on Democratic Attitudes, Knowledge, Values, and Behavior// (AEP-I-00-00-00018, Task Order No. 806). Washington, DC: Finkel, S.E., Mbatia, P, and Leuthold, D.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">U.S. Agency for International Development. (2009). //The Impact of the Second National Kenya Civic Education Programme (NCEP II-Uraia) on Democratic Attitudes, Values, and Behavior: Draft report// (AEP# DFD-I-19-04-00228,Task Order No. 806). Washington, DC: Finkel, S.E., Horowitz, J. and Mbatia, P.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">UNDP Kenya. (2011). URAIA:National Civic Education Programme, NCEP. Retrieved from http://www.ke.undp.org/index.php/projects/uraianational-civic-education-programme-ncep

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Uraia Civic Education Programme. (2011). Kenya’s National Civic Education Programme. Retrieved from http://www.uraia.or.ke/ and subsequent pages.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Uraia. Kenya’s National Civic Education Programme: The Uraia Manual. Nairobi: Kenya’s National Civic Education Programme.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> [i] CIA, 2011 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> [ii] Uraia Civic Education Programme, 2011 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> [iii] Finkel, S.E. and Smith, A.E., 2011 =<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">** [iv] UNDP Kenya, 2011 ** = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> [v] USAID, 2003, p6 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> [vi] Ibid. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> [vii] Ibid; USAID, 2009 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> [viii] USAID, 2003 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> [ix] Uraia <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> [x] USAID, 2003 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> [xi] Uraia <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"> [xii] Ibid.