By Ken Opalo
The civil society in Kenya was born out of the clamour for political space and greater civil rights during the height of the single party rule.
As such, civil society organisations have always had an anti-government streak, with an inherent predisposition “to speak truth to power.” This was a strategy that worked well in fighting a widely unpopular government. But Kenya has changed. And in order for civil society organisations to remain relevant in the eyes of the public, they too must change.
Recent political events have left many civil society organisations (CSOs) under siege. Following their preferred candidate’s electoral defeat, they have been accused of being lackeys of foreign donors out to subvert Kenya’s sovereignty. All these attacks are, of course, misguided. But they resonate with the public. Those opposed to progressive CSOs have shown the extent they are willing to go – including the use of unnamed and sometimes fictitious hired guns, to write op-eds in newspapers detailing the secret agenda of Kenyan NGOs and their foreign funders. These conservative elements appear to have won the propaganda war, especially among the middle class.
Much of the Kenyan middle class, for better or worse, appears to have been convinced that the fight for political rights and space has been won. After all Kenya has a new Constitution; the devolved system of Government is being implemented; and the President is no longer the sole authority in determining how resources are shared across the country. For many of the middle class, it is time now to focus on winning the economic fight and achievement of the Kenyan dream. In order to achieve this, many Kenyans have been persuaded that we need to project a sense of political calm, lest we scare away investors, both domestic and foreign.
The ideology of peace, stability and public order has therefore been the defining clarion call of the conservative elements in our political system. In light of these developments, for progressive CSOs to remain relevant for the middle class, they must adopt tactics that are conscious of the public’s revealed need for peace and stability. The confrontational tactics that were successful in the past will probably no longer work. It is likely that the Government will continue to react in a manner to provoke riots that will then be labelled as anarchic and a threat to public order. The shop owners, small business operators and much of the middle class, averse to public disorder, will nod in agreement. This is not to say that public demonstrations should cease to be a tactic used by CSOs, far from it. Public demonstrations are the best way to get the public’s attention. The recent demonstrations against MPs’ calls for higher pay were very successful in catching the public attention. But such moves need to be backed by deliberate engagement of the relevant authorities.
This is especially true with regard to the policy realm. It is time the civil society moved beyond being watchdogs and also included in their ranks serious think tanks to offer alternative policies to the Government.
As we adjust to the realities in which we find ourselves, the culture of the civil society being the preserve of those in Opposition should end. There is also a need for the conservative elements in the middle class to create their own policy institutions to balance the progressive forces in our political system. The country needs greater democracy and competition of policies even in the civil society sphere. That is the mark of a truly democratic and open society. Our country will be the better for it when we have vigorous debate among civil society groups and think tanks instead of the confrontational civil society vs Government model that we have become used to.
The fight for justice is a continuous fight that takes time. We must always be thankful for and respectful to the valiant Kenyans who continue to put everything on the line to defend our rights. The freedoms we enjoy today are a direct result of the intrepid defiance of our civil society groups over the last two decades. But right now, these groups appear deflated after a crushing loss in an election that was theirs to win. It is time to go back to the drawing board and come up with a strategy that is sensitive to the present public mood, especially among the middle class. History teaches us that successful progressivism must be anchored in the middle class to infuse it with moderation and make it attractive to the wider public.
The writer is a PhD candidate at Stanford University
