The Change Initiative

alternate textMembers of Msabweni Human Rights Watch demonstrating aganist land grabbing in Kwale

The Change initiative began in 2009 with the aim of creating platforms through which citizens can critically examine their role in democratic processes and create platforms for enhanced engagement. The initiative is built on the premise that people through self- organizing are and can leverage their own power and set the development agenda. The initiative is designed to harness and support this processes by enhancing people centered democratic governance in Kenya by:

  • Amplifying community voices in decision-making.
  • Re-activating grassroots democratic culture and civic engagement. 
  • Exploring new and innovative technology to boost community participation and as a means of promoting awareness for social justice. 

Visit the Change website for more information.

Participatory Budgeting

Kenyans setting the agenda

One of the citizens’ demands during the Change initiative’s citizen’s forums was to ensure citizens involvement in the devolved government as provided for by the new constitution in Kenya and consequently to enable citizens to be able to determine their own development path.  Fahamu has taken up this challenge and, working with community activists, are implementing a Participatory Budgeting (PB) project.

Fahamu seeks to adapt and localize existing models to ensure that the focus is ‘people centered’ as opposed to ‘structure centered’. Fahamu aims through this project to create a citizen led process that shifts the balance of power and decision making from a select few government officials to the people and by doing so, create a replicable model for people-centered democratization of Kenya’s economic life. 

PB goes beyond alternative budgets and beyond traditional consultation mechanisms; PB is a priority setting and decision-making process. It is about ordinary citizens making real decisions about public monies.  

Using direct democracy and consensus building methodologies, Fahamu will work with community activists and existing social movements in Kiambu and Kwale counties over the next two years to spearhead the participatory budgeting process.