This report examines the recent youth protests in Kenya that began in June 2024, unprecedented in their countrywide mobilisation and political impact. Triggered by massive planned tax hikes and rage… Read More »AfriCOG: The Gen Z Uprising in Kenya and Africa’s Youthquake
In Kenya, there has been a crisis of confidence since 2007 that elections do not reflect the will of the people. At the same time, civil society has become progressively… Read More »Talking Point: Civic Action in a Hostile World
In these reports, AfriCOG and KPTJ analyse developments throughout the electoral cycle, with a focus on pre-election preparedness, the administration of Election Day, results announcement processes, post-election dispute resolution, and… Read More »Disobeying Orders: The Scrutiny of Kenya’s Electoral Technology
Foreword The Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG) is pleased to present its latest report “Highway Robbery: “Budgeted Corruption” as State Capture. A case study of infrastructure spending under the… Read More »HIGHWAY ROBBERY: “Budgeted Corruption” as State Capture
This report has been prepared by the Kura Yangu Sauti Yangu (KYSY) electoral platform, which actively monitors the electoral process, engages key stakeholders, and facilitates dialogue amongst a broad array… Read More »Squandered Opportunities – The October 2017 Fresh Presidential Election
Two new sheriffs in town It has been a frantic period since 13 March 2018, when President Kenyatta appointed Noordin Haji of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), as the Director… Read More »State Capture – Inside Kenya’s Inability to Fight-Corruption
The Directorate of Governance and Ethics was established in January 2018 with the fundamental objective of ensuring the implementation of the values and principles of governance as enshrined in Article… Read More »Governance Plan: County Government of Wajir
This report has been prepared for the Kura Yangu Sauti Yangu (KYSY) electoral platform, which actively monitors the electoral process, engages key stakeholders, and facilitates dialogue amongst a broad array… Read More »The More Things Change : The August 2017 Election in Kenya
This report has been prepared by the Kura Yangu Sauti Yangu (KYSY) electoral platform, which actively monitors the electoral process, engages key stakeholders, and facilitates dialogue amongst a broad array… Read More »Unanswered Questions – Findings from the Scrutiny of the October 2017 Fresh Presidential Election
On August 29th, 2017, as part of the petition challenging the credibility of the presidential election, the Supreme Court of Kenya ordered the IEBC to allow scrutiny of its servers[See… Read More »2017 Election Petition – What You Need to Know about the ICT Experts Report
As the gateway to the ballot box, voter registration and the resulting Register of Voters is a highly sensitive and vital part of any electoral process. In Kenya, voter registration has long been the subject of serious, contentious debate. In 2013, there were a series of unresolved questions around the Register, including:
• What explained the increase in the number of registered voters (+12,509) between the publication of the provisional figures, after which registration was supposed to be closed, and the publication of the final figures?
• Why were there such stark differences in the changes that had been made in party strongholds (See Table 1)?
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As the gateway to the ballot box, voter registration and the resulting Register of Voters is a highly sensitive and vital part of any electoral process. In Kenya, voter registration… Read More »READY… OR NOT? The Register of Voters – Where We Are One Week Ahead of Election Day
Background The general election is due to be held in a month’s time. It is therefore of extreme concern that so many important processes and issues are still hanging in… Read More »READY… OR NOT? An Assessment of Kenya’s Preparedness for the 8 August 2017 General Election (April – June 2017) – A Summary of Key Findings and Recommendations
Executive Summary This second edition of the Ready or Not election preparedness report series, developed in partnership by the Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG) and Kenyans for Peace with… Read More »READY… OR NOT? An Assessment of Kenya’s Preparedness for the 8 August 2017 General Election (April – June 2017)
The Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG) and Kenyans for Peace with Truth and Justice (KPTJ) are pleased to present the latest report in their “Ready or Not?” series, which… Read More »READY… OR NOT? An Assessment of Kenya’s Preparedness for the 8 August 2017 General Election
Despite the hope that marked the 2013 elections in Kenya, a wide range of irregularities,inconsistencies and errors during multiple phases of the electoral cycle left the country furtherdivided and without… Read More »An Assessment of Kenya’s Preparedness for the 8 August 2017 General Election – A Summary of Key Findings and Recommendations
The Africa Centre for Open Governance in partnership with Kenyans for Peace with Truth and Justice commissioned Infotrak Research and Consulting to conduct a citizen perception survey on select independent… Read More »Citizen perception survey on elections
The Africa Centre for Open Governance in partnership with Kenyans for Peace with Truth and Justice commissioned Infotrak Research and Consulting to conduct a citizen perception survey on select independent… Read More »Citizen perception survey on constitutional implementation
The Africa Centre for Open Governance in partnership with Kenyans for Peace with Truth and Justice commissioned Infotrak Research and Consulting to conduct a citizen perception survey on select independent… Read More »Citizen perception survey on constitutional implementation
The Africa Centre for Open Governance in partnership with Kenyans for Peace with Truth and Justice commissioned Infotrak Research and Consulting to conduct a citizen perception survey on select independent… Read More »Citizen perception survey on the direction of the country and corruption
The Africa Centre for Open Governance in partnership with Kenyans for Peace with Truth and Justice commissioned Infotrak Research and Consulting to conduct a citizen perception survey on select independent… Read More »Citizen perception survey on the direction of the country and corruption
Who sponsored the poll? This Poll was sponsored by Africog and conducted by Infotrak Research and Consulting When was the poll conducted? Between 3rd May- 9 th May 2018 How… Read More »STATE OF THE NATION POLL – MAY 2018
The Kenya Governance Report 2014 is the fourth in a series by the Africa Centre for Open Governance. Every year, AfriCOG reviews the events of the past year as they… Read More »Annual Governance Report, 2014
This content is drawn from Transparency International’s forthcoming Global Corruption Report: Sport. For more information on our Corruption in Sport Initiative, visit: www.transparency.org/sportintegrity
The management of the 2013 general elections demonstrated serious gaps in transparency and accountability, exemplified by the IEBC’s inability to authoritatively state which voters’ register was used during the elections,… Read More »Rethinking Electoral Management
The Kenya government loses about one third of the national budget to corruption, with 80 percent of all corruption cases before the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission being about procurement1. According to… Read More »Public Procurement in Kenya’s Counties
On March 4, 2013, Kenya held a landmark general election. It was the first national election since the promulgation of the internationally lauded constitution, which created a devolved system of… Read More »Voter Registration for the 2013 General Elections in Kenya
The development of a new constitution was meant to redress some of the underlying governance challenges facing the Kenyan state. The risk of not addressing these governance challenges was manifested… Read More »Taking Stock : Challenges and Prospects of Implementing the Constitution of Kenya, 2010
Foreword One of the key features of Kenya’s constitution that was promulgated in August 2010 is the provision for a devolved government. This provision should be seen against the backdrop… Read More »Delivering on Devolution? Evaluating County Budgets 2013-2014
Foreward As Kenya establishes the framework for exploitation of recent discoveries of large oil and gas deposits, the need for good governance in the sector becomes paramount. Related experience reveals… Read More »Mixed Blessing? Promoting Good Governance in Kenya’s Extractive Industries
In line with our mission to promote permanent civic vigilance on key governance issues, the Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG) is pleased to present the following report on pending… Read More »Not So Final? – Analysis of IEBC’s Report on March 2013 General Election
The Constitution of Kenya, 2010 provides, under Chapter 6, for leadership and integrity of all public officers. The Chapter is predicated upon the assumption that State officers1 are the nerve… Read More »Implementation of Chapter Six of the Constitution of Kenya 2010
The Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG) is a non- profit organization that addresses the structural causes of corruption and poor governance in Kenya. AfriCOG envisions a country in which… Read More »Kenya Governance Report 2013
This latest report from AfriCOG examines the problem of presidential and senior state officer’s retirement benefits in Kenya, a topic which has been the subject of much heated discussion ever… Read More »Golden Handshakes – The Retirement Benefits of Senior State Officers in Kenya
The Constitution of 2010 provides for a devolved system of governance in which Kenya now has two distinct but interdependent levels of government – the national and county governments –… Read More »Did Counties Deliver? Evaluating County Budgets 2013-2014
The struggle for integrity has formed a major part of Kenya’s recent governance history. Over the decades, the Kenyan public has made its desire for a change in the quality… Read More »Integrity in Leadership? An assessment of Kenya’s performance in enforcing constitutional values
Article 6 of the Constitution provides for the devolution of services to 47 counties, and further provides that all State organs must, as far as is possible, ensure the accessibility… Read More »Pathways to Devolution – The Scope for Decentralising State Agencies
Summary The management of the 2013 general elections demonstrated serious gaps in transparency and accountability, exemplified by the IEBC’s inability to authoritatively state which voters’ register was used during the… Read More »Rethinking Electoral Management in Kenya – An Emerging Agenda for the 2017 Elections
On March 4, 2014 Kenya conducted a general election, which was historic for several reasons. It was the first general election since the promulgation of the new Constitution in 2010;… Read More »AfriCOG-KPTJ Elections 2013 Compendium
On March 4, 2013 Kenya held a landmark general election. It was the first national election since the promulgation of the internationally lauded constitution, which created a devolved system of… Read More »Election Day 2013 and its Aftermath
INTRODUCTIONUfungamano Joint Forum of Religious Organisations (U–JFRO) originally known as Ufungamano Initiative includes the main religious organizations in Kenya. As a forum of religious organizations U-JFRO has been a key… Read More »Standard Gauge Railway – Facts & Implications
The Kenya Governance Report 2012 is the second in a new series by the Africa Centre for Open Governance. This report reviews events of the year 2012 as they relate… Read More »Kenya Governance Report – 2012
1. What is an opinion poll? An opinion poll is a survey carried out to measure views on a certain topic within a specific group of people. For example, the… Read More »10 Questions you might have on Opinion Polls
The poll was sponsored and conducted by Infotrak Research & Consulting between 24th May to 28th May, 2013 A sample of 2,343 respondents was interviewed to represent the Kenyan BVR… Read More »AfriCOG Infotrak Perception Poll May 2013
This report is a comprehensive review of Kenya’s Arid Lands Resources Management Project (ALRMP2). ALRMP2 was a community-based drought management project of the Kenya Government (GoK) that utilised a credit… Read More »Kenya’s Drought Cash Cow – Lessons from the Forensic Audit of The World Bank Arid Lands Resource Management Project
The Arid Lands Resource Management Project (ALRMP) was an extension of a World Bank funded project – the Emergency Drought Recovery Project (EDRP 1993-96) – that began in 1993. The… Read More »Kenya’s Drought Cash Cow – A Short Guide (Summary)
This Report examines the prospects for a complementary accountability process to deal with the post-election violence (PEV) that took place in Kenya following the disputed presidential election in December 2007.… Read More »Securing Justice – Establishing a domestic mechanism for the 2007/8 post-election violence in Kenya
This simple and easy to understand brief is targeted at the general Kenyan population. It highlights the problematic situations that underscore the need to have the public participate in affairs… Read More »A Quick Guide to Public Participation and Parliamentary Oversight Under the New Constitution
Corruption in the private sector is widespread and costs the economy greatly while undermining efforts to reduce the poverty rates in the country. In order for small and medium enterprises… Read More »Small and Medium Enterprises in Kenya and Corruption
AfriCOG’s work in the area of devolution is aimed at strengthening good governance in Kenya with objective, high-quality research and advocacy; and generating useable information for building Kenyans’ capacity to… Read More »Devolution – Educating the Public: Addressing the gaps
AfriCOG commissioned this post-election survey as part of its work on the 2013 general elections, the first general elections under the new constitution. Due to the prolonged nature of the… Read More »Post–election Public Opinion Poll (March 5 – 6, 2013)
The poll was sponsored by AfriCOG and conducted by Infotrak Research & Consulting between 24th to 26th February, 2013. A sample of 3245 respondents was interviewed to represent the Kenyan… Read More »AfriCOG Pre –election Public Poll February 26th 2013
The survey was conducted and sponsored by Africa Centre for Open Governance (AfriCOG) between 12th and 19th May, 2012 A sample of 2400 respondents was interviewed to represent the Kenyan… Read More »AfriCOG’s survey report on devolution
The KENYA Governance Report 2011 is the first report in a new series by AfriCOG. The report discusses governance, leadership, integrity and accountability in several sectors in Kenya, including the… Read More »The KENYA Governance Report 2011
Public Participation Under Kenya’s New Public Financial Management Law and Beyond is a joint policy brief by a broad range of civil society organizations, that reflects their concerns about the… Read More »Public Participation Under Kenya’s New Public Financial Management Law and Beyond
“Parliamentary oversight committees need to be strengthened in order to become an effective watchdog ensuring good governance for the improved welfare of Kenyans. The impact of the new constitutional provisions… Read More »Public Participation and Parliamentary Oversight – Legal Reforms and Policy Options
The threat posed by organized crime is not confined to serious crimes such as racketeering, the global drug trade, or human trafficking. For many developing countries and fragile states, powerful… Read More »Termites at Work: Transnational Organized Crime and State Erosion in Kenya
Amos Sitswila Wako served as the Attorney General of Kenya (AG) from May 1991 to August 2011. At first he was seen as offering a welcome change from his bumbling… Read More »Poisoned Legacy – Assessing Amos Wako’s Perfomance
Smouldering Evidence, AfriCOG’s latest report, examines the Charterhouse Bank Scandal which has received much attention in the media recently and dates back several years.
In this report, AfriCOG documents the privatisation/divestiture of Telkom and Safaricom. “Deliberate Loopholes” describes some of the lapses that occurred in the privatisation of Telkom Kenya and Safaricom
“All that Glitters? An Appraisal of the Goldenberg Report” is part of AfriCOG’s contribution to the struggle against impunity and for accountability in Kenya. In the current climate, as sections… Read More »ALL THAT GLITTERS? An Appraisal of the Goldenberg Report
Until mid 2009, the Eastern African Seaboard, including Kenya, did not have submarine fibre optic connectivity and therefore depended largely on expensive, satellite-based communications for international connectivity. Affordable connectivity enhances… Read More »Unlimited Bandwidth? Governance and submarine fiber-optic cable intiatives in Kenya
Sports is widely recognised as a sector with immense economic value. Over and above the economic potential are the socio-political benefits of sports for reconciliation and as a carrier for… Read More »Foul Play, The crisis of football management in Kenya
The ability of an empowered CMA to carry out its supervisory and enforcement mandate effectively fosters public confidence in the securities industry. An effective regulator acts in the interest of… Read More »Review of Securities Regulation – AfriCOG’s comments on the draft Capital Markets Authority Regulations
The series of events leading up to the so called “maize scam” began in late 2008. At the time,the country was experiencing a severe maize shortage due to low yields… Read More »The Maize Scandal
Kenya achieved a low score of 2.2 on the TI Corruption Perception Index (CPI) conducted in 2009.The CPI Ranks Kenya at 36 compared to Uganda’s CPI score of 27 and… Read More »Five Years On – How effective is the KACC in the fight against corruption
Kenya’s politics has hinged on negative ethnicity since the early years of independence. It is clear that ethnic blocks have been mobilized very effectively for political expediency over the years,… Read More »Empowering the youth to tackle negative ethnicity
In the wake of the fuel shortage witnessed in 2008 and following complaints by oil marketers and financiers, the management of Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) ordered an internal audit of… Read More »Analysis of the Triton Oil Scandal
Nearly five years after the release of the Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Illegal/Irregular Allocation of Public Land (the Ndung’u Commission), in December 2004, its recommendations remain… Read More »Mission Impossible? Implementing the Ndung’u Report
The December 2007 elections brought into question Kenya’s electoral process and the role and performance of the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK). One year later, after post-election violence that left… Read More »Free for all? Misuse of Public Funds at the Electoral Commission of Kenya
In transitioning democracies such as Kenya’s, the problem appears particularly nettlesome given weak institutions, a lack of independence and transparency on the part of electoral commissions, and the inability of… Read More »Report on Electoral Anomalies – Submitted to Kriegler Commision
The Fiscal Management Act was enacted by Parliament as a private bill. The Act is awaiting Presidential assent pending revisions proposed by the President. This paper discusses the contents of… Read More »Analysis of the Fiscal Management Bill, 2008
Shattered Dreams – An Audit of Kibaki Government’s Anti-corruption Drive 2003-2007
Although the Goldenberg Commission of Inquiry completed its report in October 2005, it did not present it to the President until February 2006
The election results released by ECK show inordinately large variances between parliamentary and presidential ballots. The extent of these irregularities can be discerned by comparing with the 2002 general elections.
Commissions of Inquiry have been a favored tool of both the Moi and the Kibaki Government. However, a cursory survey of the results of commissions of inquiry since the 1980s… Read More »A study of Commissions of Inquiries in Kenya
Voters cite corruption, unemployment, poverty and food insecurity as issues most concerning to them.