Caritas Study Finds Kenya’s Development Agenda and Agenda 2030 Strongly Aligned

On dealing with inequalities, while the study revealed overall alignment between the development agenda in Kenya and the Agenda 2030, more needs to be done in the areas of “public awareness and implementation of existing policies and legislation.”

To foster public awareness, the study has recommended “Civic education, public campaigns and public participation.”

To ensure the implementation of policies and legal provisions, a responsibility property to government agencies, the research recommended partnerships with relevant stakeholders.

“Partnerships between civil society, including faith-based organisations and NGOs, and communities themselves, were seen as a key way to hold those in power to account,” the report of the research shows.

While the case studies showed that the East African country “should be commended for its work in addressing climate change and integrating the environment and development at both international and national levels,” still, more could be done “to ensure that this collective responsibility is shared by all.”

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“Our research and the case studies in this report show that for environmental protection to be sustainable it requires the involvement of local communities, supporting their livelihoods and raising their awareness at the same time as providing funding and training for alternatives. Economic growth and industry cannot be prioritised over the protection of natural resources,” the report has noted.

On the principle of participation and dialogue for which the Kenya Constitution (2010) provides strong frameworks through devolution, the research demonstrated that “for participation to be effective, it needs to be accountable to the constituent communities; work to popularise, improve structures and raise awareness of the county development funds.”

SDGs address global challenges in view of achieving “a better and more sustainable future for all.” Some of the challenges addressed include “those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice.”

The project dubbed “Bringing Agenda 2030 to Life” implemented in Kenya was part of, the published report notes, “a wider participatory research project coordinated by University College London (UCL), UK and the Catholic Agency For Overseas Development (CAFOD), UK, in partnership with Caritas Sierra Leone, the National Commission for Justice, Peace and Caritas Liberia (NCJPC), Caritas Kenya, Caritas Zambia and Caritas Africa.”