Kenya’s democratic space in 2025 reflects a complex mix of constitutional progress and systemic strain. The 2010 Constitution marked a pivotal shift by introducing devolution, enhancing public participation, and promoting inclusivity. Despite these advancements, recent events have highlighted areas where democratic principles are under strain, necessitating a thorough examination.​

While the 2010 Constitution laid a strong foundation for participatory governance, institutional checks and citizen rights, implementation gaps continue to hinder democratic consolidation. According to the 2024 Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance, Kenya scored 56.9 out of 100 in overall governance, ranking 13th in Africa, but only 54.5 in participation, rights and inclusion, signaling weaknesses in civic space and inclusivity. Youth disenchantment remains pronounced, with over 72% of Kenyans aged 18–34 reporting feeling excluded from decision-making processes (Afrobarometer, 2023). Public confidence in key democratic institutions is eroding— only 26% trust the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), and just 29% express confidence in Parliament (Ipsos, 2024). Moreover, despite legal provisions for gender equity, women still occupy only 23% of seats in the National Assembly, far below the constitutionally required one-third threshold. 

Pointedly, governance challenge prevails as corruption remains to be Kenya’s impediment to development. Kenya ranks 129th out of 180 countries in the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) by Transparency International, highlighting the continued prevalence of graft in public offices. Public procurement and county government financial management remain areas of high corruption risk, with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) EACC reporting that at least Ksh 14 billion was lost to corruption across counties in the 2021/2022 financial year. This undermines public trust in devolved governance. The Auditor General’s reports indicate that a majority of county governments fail to account for public funds, with 76% of counties receiving qualified or adverse audit opinions in the last audit cycle, pointing to irregular expenditures and financial mismanagement. These realities underscore the urgent need for interventions that deepen inclusivity, transparency, digital engagement, and civic accountability—especially as governance in both national and devolved spaces is increasingly tested by corruption, youth exclusion, and limited public participation.

Devolution in Kenya: A Democratic Milestone Under Strain

Devolution remains one of the most transformative gains of Kenya’s 2010 Constitution, ushering in 47 county governments to decentralize power, enhance service delivery, and bring governance closer to the people. It has helped deepen grassroots participation and stimulate localized development. According to the World Bank (2023), counties have recorded progress in citizen engagement, transparency, and proximity of services—particularly in health, agriculture, and infrastructure. Institutions like the Council of Governors and Commission on Revenue Allocation have helped structure intergovernmental coordination, while emerging regional economic blocs signal potential for homegrown economic growth.

However, devolution continues to face key challenges. As of early 2025, delayed disbursement of county funds remains a persistent issue, with the Controller of Budget reporting that nearly 60% of counties received disbursements more than two months late in FY2023/24. Other setbacks include misallocation of resources, limited fiscal accountability, corruption, and weak public participation frameworks.  Addressing these systemic gaps is critical to realizing the full promise of devolution. For Kenya’s democratic system to thrive, devolved governance must not only function efficiently, but also empower citizens to hold county leaders accountable through open access, transparency, and meaningful participation.

Our priority Areas;

1. Devolution and Access to Information

Devolution was designed to improve service delivery, reduce marginalization, and give people greater control over local development. However, only 39% of Kenyans believe they can influence county government decisions (Afrobarometer, 2024), largely due to limited access to information and poor civic understanding of devolved governance. Despite constitutional guarantees (Article 35) and the Access to Information Act (2016), county governments often fail to proactively disclose crucial information such as budgets, development plans, and procurement reports. This creates an accountability vacuum and weakens citizen oversight and engagement.

Our Strategic Interventions

• Community Trainings on the right to access information, how to request information through formal means, and how to interpret key public documents (budgets, CIDPs, procurement plans).
• Targeted engagements with county officials on proactive disclosure and digital transparency obligations. 

2. Digital Governance and Political Accountability

In a country where over 22 million Kenyans use smartphones (CAK, 2023), digital tools provide an untapped opportunity to enhance transparency, streamline service delivery, and strengthen citizen oversight. Yet, many counties lack user-friendly digital platforms, and civic tech uptake remains low. Digital governance is not just about online services—it’s a gateway to political accountability. Citizens can monitor public funds, demand answers from leaders, and access real-time updates on governance processes through digital platforms.

Our Strategic Interventions

• Digital Literacy to Equip youth and grassroots organizations with skills to use civic tech (e.g., budget tracking tools, virtual petitioning, feedback platforms to various government sites and tracking projects online).
• Social Accountability Campaigns: Use WhatsApp, X (Twitter), and Facebook groups to run awareness campaigns and Q&A sessions with leaders.
• “Ask Your Leader” Forums: Partner with counties to organize virtual townhalls and Twitter Spaces that promote responsive leadership.
• Active County Websites: Advocate for counties to publish real-time procurement data, budget usage, and project status on their websites and portals.

3. Meaningful Public Participation

Kenya’s Constitution (Article 10 and 232) mandates public participation. However, most county forums are performative and inaccessible to the ordinary citizen. Afrobarometer (2023) found that only 17% of Kenyans had participated in any public meeting related to government budgeting or development in the past year.  Barriers to participation include low civic literacy, delay in passing information about the exercise,  inconvenient meeting times, lack of transportation, and inaccessible venues for PWDs. In many cases, public input is not meaningfully considered in policy or budgeting decisions.

Our Strategic Interventions

• Civic Training Toolkits: Create simple guides on how to read budgets, give policy feedback, and follow up on submissions of their views.
• Simulation Forums: Run participatory budgeting exercises and mock policy forums at the ward level, especially targeting youth, women, and PWDs.
• Community Facilitators Program: Train local champions (e.g., teachers, wards and subward admins, activists etc) as facilitators to help community members engage more confidently in county forums.
• Inclusivity Audits: Work with stakeholders to assess how inclusive county participatory processes are, including whether information is relayed in the most understood language, accessibility to PWD should also be considered, check if there are provisions for digital infrastructure and issue public reports with recommendations.

4. Representation and Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

Young people (aged 18–35) make up over 60% of Kenya’s population, yet their representation in elected offices remains dismal. As of 2022, only 6.5% of Members of Parliament were youth and women still fall short of the one-third constitutional gender rule. High costs of campaigning and entrenched patronage systems further disadvantage PWDs, youth, and women. Political exclusion undermines democracy and social cohesion. Without targeted empowerment and electoral reforms, SIGs will remain sidelined in decision-making, reducing the legitimacy of governance structures.

Our Strategic Interventions

• Leadership Training Forums: Host intensive civic leadership mentorship programs for women, youth, and PWDs interested in running for office or civic activism.
• Anti voter bribery campaigns: Organizes low-cost campaigning, media engagement, and enlighten youths on fundraising first-time aspirants.
• Policy Advocacy: Join coalitions advocating for campaign financing caps and enforcement of SIG quotas at both county and national levels like the IEBC, ORPP and review the Elections Act, the Campaign Financing Act to level the playground. 
• Establish community-based networks that link aspiring leaders with mentors, party networks, and civic tools.
• Media Spotlights: Work with local media to profile emerging leaders from marginalized backgrounds and amplify their voices.

Safe Steps Foundation–Kenya is committed to practical, grassroots, and scalable solutions to Kenya’s democratic challenges. Our approach is grounded in partnerships with communities, county governments, other CSOs, international partners and democracy support organisations with a focus on long-term impact and cost-efficiency. We believe that by strengthening devolution, promoting transparency, amplifying underrepresented voices, and leveraging technology, we can help build a democratic culture where every voice counts.