Kenya has been lauded for its strides in promoting economic equality, good governance and the rule of law. These were the highlights of the 32^nd APR Forum of Heads of State and Government participating in the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) held virtually on 9^th February, 2023.

 

Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi representing H.E Dr. William Ruto during the virtual 32nd APR Forum of Heads of State and Government participating in the Africa Peer Review Mechanism. 

 

The virtual meeting was convened by H.E Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone and current Chairperson of the APR Forum, and attended by delegates among them: H.E Ismail Omar Gulleh the President of Djibouti, H.E Hage Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia, H.E, Macky Sall, Chairperson of the African Union and President of the Democratic Republic of Senegal, H.E Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E Mohammed Foday Yumkella, Chairperson of the APR Focal Points Committee, Musalia Mudavadi, Prime Cabinet Secretary, Kenya and  Amb. Dr Samori Okwiya, Chief Executive Officer, NEPAD/APRM Kenya Secretariat among others.

In his opening remarks, President Maada Bio thanked member states for their tireless efforts in promoting democracy and good governance and  further applauded Kenya for being the most active member state of the APRM.

In his speech, read by the Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, H.E. President William Ruto highlighted the tremendous governance reforms that Kenya has implemented, attributed to the Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

“Although I am participating in the Forum discussions for the first time, my country has been one of the most active members states of the APRM. Indeed, Kenya was among the first countries to voluntarily accede to the APRM in 2003 and the third to submit to a comprehensive base review in 2006. In 2017, Kenya became the first country to submit to a second comprehensive country review.”

Additionally, he pointed out the progress that Kenya has made in democracy, elections, and freedoms, noting that APRM has been a vital catalyst in these achievements. He acknowledged the economic challenges triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, stating that Kenya has embarked on a Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) that aims to improve the living standards for millions of Kenyans. Further, he emphasized that Kenya’s focus would remain on the bottom-up approach to development, and at the appropriate time, he would invite the APRM to conduct a Targeted Review of their bottom-up economic transformation model to assess their overall performance and identify best practices and areas requiring extra attention.

“As we continue submitting ourselves to regular assessments of our governance systems and practices, the recurrent theme will be the strong focus on the bottom-up approach of development. In this regard, at the appropriate time during this first term of my Presidency, I will invite the APRM to conduct a Targeted Review of our bottom-up economic transformation model to assess our overall performance and identify both best practices as well as areas requiring extra attention.”

Consequently, he acknowledged APRM for selecting Kenya to pioneer the National Governance Reporting Framework, adding that the government will consider recommendations in the National Governance Report for Kenya and mainstream them in the domestic development frameworks, for implementation.

In conclusion, the 32nd APR Forum of the Heads of State and Government participating in the APRM was a significant summit, as Kenya continues to set the standard for good governance and democracy in Africa. With its focus on the bottom-up approach to development, Kenya remains committed to improving the living standards of its citizens and promoting democracy and good governance across the continent.