International Youth Days Forum

“Engaging Youth in participatory evaluation on 2010 referendum”

Mathare Social Hall

12^th August 2010

8:30am – 3:00pm

Background

The Kenyan state was born in violence, and has been sustained by violence. Its function has been the plunder of the people and their resources. The ambition of the Proposed Draft is to turn the state towards the service of the people and the moulding of a common identity and loyalties, transcending both corruption and ethnicity. It is to be sustained by its legitimacy, not coercion

The passage of Kenya's new constitution ends a decades-long struggle to cut down the massive powers of the presidency, although it will now take up to five years to implement all the changes approved. Kenya was in a similar place eight years ago. At the time, Mwai Kibaki won a landslide presidential victory that ended the 39-year rule of the country's independence party. His massive mandate raised expectations that his administration would reverse low economic growth, poor government services and endemic corruption.