Partnership for Change

  1. What is the Partnership for Change?

The Partnership for Change is an open initiative of Mars Group Kenya and other like-minded organizations, Civil Society Agencies, NGO’s, Youth groups, Faith Based Organisations, Social Movements and grass roots organization and Networks from all of the eight provinces of Kenya.

The mission of the Partnership for Change is to advance the strategic use of non-violent action in calling upon the Kenyan Citizen to demand the End of Impunity, Restore Democratic accountability and to end Dictatorship in Kenya.

Mars Group Kenya: a leadership, governance, accountability and media watchdog organization. It is an Internet based organization that monitors and tracks all public institutions and offices. With over 1.6 terabytes of information on its websites, Mars Group Kenya documents and disseminates information for evidence-based-bottom-up-advocacy and support to civil society. It has over 7,700 registered subscribers who include individuals in government, the private sector, civil society, media, academia and the international community.  Research at www.marsgroupkenya.org

 

  2. Why the Partnership for Change?

Kenya is not free.  But freedom is not free either. No outside force is coming to give oppressed Kenyans the freedom that Kenyans so much want. Kenyans will have to learn how to take that freedom themselves. Easy it cannot be.
If Kenyans can grasp what is required for their own liberation, Kenyans can chart courses of action which, through much travail, can eventually bring Kenyans their freedom. Then, with diligence Kenyans can construct a new democratic order and prepare for its defense.
Freedom won by struggle of this type can be durable. It can be maintained by a tenacious Kenyan people committed to its preservation and enrichment.

 

  3. What is the Agenda of the Partnership for Change?

FROM DICTATORIAL IMPUNITY TO DEMOCRATIC ACCOUNTABILITY: AGENDA OF THE PARTNERSHIP FOR CHANGE

 

National Accord – to advocate, and educate Kenyans on the need for, full implementation of all aspects of the National Accord of February 28th 2008 and particularly the full implementation of the Commission of Inquiries into post-election-violence (Waki), into the electoral process (Kriegler), the proposed Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission and the National Ethnic and Race Relations Commission.  Our position is that failure to implement the National Accord constitutes grounds for a fresh election of a Parliament and Executive for Kenya.

 

Fundamental Rights guaranteed by Chapter V of the Constitution of Kenya – to advocate, and educate Kenyans on their rights as guaranteed by Chapter V of the Constitution of Kenya which contains the Kenyan Bill of Rights of the Individual.  Our position is that at minimum the fundamental rights of the individual must be respected and protected by the State and its agencies, on pain of prosecution for violators.  The constitutional reform process must adopt Chapter VI of the 2004 Bomas of Kenya draft Constitution without amendments.

 

National Debt – to advocate, and educate Kenyans on the need for full accountability and transparency in the External Public Debt Register which records all debts incurred by the Government of Kenya with international multi-lateral, bi-lateral and commercial creditors.  Our position is that transparency requires Kenyans to know what they owe, to whom they owe, and for what purpose they have a debt.  We want no further contracting of international debts unless and until the Government of Kenya accounts to the people of Kenya through Parliament by tabling the complete list of loans and debt registers for the period 1963 to date for public scrutiny.  We want the law amended so that it is illegal for the Government to borrow without ex ante Parliamentary approval and full debate on the merits.

 

National Budget – to advocate, and educate Kenyans on the need for a reduction in the size of the Government of Kenya and the enactment of a statute pursuant to section 16 of the Constitution to cap the number of Executive Cabinet Ministries.  To advocate, and educate Kenyans on the need for reduction of the recurrent expenditure of Government and the setting of ceilings on recurrent expenditure with appropriate sanctions for public officers responsible for exceeding such ceilings.  To monitor public expenditure at national and local levels and to identify waste and corruption for the purposes of rationalizing the National Budget.  We want an official policy requiring that at least 60% of the National Budget shall be allocated to development purposes and expenditure.

 

Citizens’ First – to educate Kenyans on the need for, full participation and consultation with citizens who are the engine of economic growth.  In particular, to advocate the enactment of sunshine laws to facilitate citizens’ participation in public meetings and decision making, and to advocate the removal of restrictions on citizens’ freedoms of assembly and association for the purposes of organizing participation in public decision making.  We shall educate Kenyans about their responsibility for the protection and preservation of democracy and their responsibility to ensure effective and honest representation in Parliament and all governance structures.

 

End Impunity – to advocate, and educate Kenyans on the need for the impartial application of the Rule of Law without discrimination or consideration of the social standing of the person(s) before the Law.  To advocate for institutional responses to deal with impunity including enhancing public monitoring and record-keeping, introducing transparency regimes in public office; developing accountability mechanisms for public officers; changing the qualification and disqualifications for leadership criteria.  We want an institutional design for the Government of Kenya that is capable of dealing with offences and does not condone impunity.  We want restoration of democratic accountability with constitutional checks-and-balances to prevent dictatorial and corrupt tendencies in public offices.

 

  4. What is OTNOP!?

The Strange looking word that you see on our t-shirts, logo’s DVD’s and all our materials is pronounced phonetically as OTPOR. This was the name of a youth driven movement which worked in Serbia about eight years ago to end the brutal and corrupt Milosevic Dictatorship. This movement championed and used nonviolent methods of public mobilization, persuasion and protest against injustice.  It was inspired in turn by the Civil Rights struggle of 1960s in the United States of America and the life work of Mahatma Gandhi. The word OTPOR in Serbian means non Violent resistance. Read more about the OTPOR movement, its successes and failures at www.canvasopedia.org

 

  5. How do I join the Partnership for Change?

Individuals can register for updates at www.marsgroupkenya.org, or Volunteer. You do not have to be registered to join the Partnership for Change. Joining the Partnership for Change only requires that you act in your enlightened self interest. Once you start supporting the call to end Dictatorial Impunity, in favour of Democratic Accountability, you should consider yourself a Partner for Change.  Once you start educating other Kenyans about the agenda of the Partnership for Change and commit to the same, you become an active member of the Partnership for Change.

 

  6. Is the Partnership For Change a Political Movement?

The initiators of the Partnership for Change have no political ambitions whatsoever, neither do we seek Government Appointments. The initiative is purely patriotic and has deep roots in Chapter V of the Constitution of Kenya, the Bill of Rights where every Kenyan is equal before the Law and the inalienable fundamental rights of every Individual Kenyan are respected by all.