About

The Constitution of Kenya provides for public participation as a key tenet of entrenching good governance.  Accordingly, all arms of government, public and state officers are expected to ensure that there is robust engagement of citizens in governance processes. This is well amplified in Article 10 of the Constitution on National Values.  Parliament is no exception.

Recognizing that Parliament derives its legislative authority from the people, Parliament has put in place measures to comply with the above constitutional thresholds on public participation.  This includes convening public forums, submitting calls for memorandum through print and electronic media, and inviting members of the public, including representatives of civil society organizations to present their views.  To inform and facilitate this engagement, civil society actors drawn from diverse backgrounds seek to come together to collectively and individually enhance the quality of public participation and engagement with parliamentary business. 

Accordingly, CSPEN envisages itself playing the pivotal role of supporting Parliament by bringing together over 25 actors to effectively: 

• Provide linkage between citizen needs as represented by CSOs and Parliament;
• Provide opportunities for Dialogue on key legislative, representational and oversight issues between CSOs and Parliament;
• Involve CSOs in the policy making process;
• Disrupt barriers that exist between the two actors;
• Provide mechanism for learning and information sharing from each other.
• Leverage on institutional resources for higher impact;
• Enhance reach and impact on key issues;
• Foster co-operation between like-minded institutions

Member Organisations: