Background
Civic Enlightenment Network (C-Net) was founded by zealous university
students at Kenyatta University School of Law (KUSOL) under a tree at the
famous “frustration roundabout” on a cold day in July of 2012. This initiative
by the young legal minds was brought about by their longing to participate in
the growing political mood within the country especially in view on the new
devolved system of government introduced by the Constitution of Kenya 2010.
This new system of governance was at the time novel yet interesting period for
any legal mind interested in Constitutional as well as political developments
brought about by the new legal regime. It offered a ripe ground on which the
young men and women at KUSOL could explore their understanding of Constitutional
developments and what it meant for the legal fraternity and all citizens to
have the well-known form of governance structure take a different and robust
transformation.
This Constitutional and legal transformation however brought with it a
myriad of challenges in its conceptualization and implementation. The new
Constitution was now a document beholden to its people as the generation that
had participated in its conceptualization, enactment and now seeing its
implementation. One of the main challenges associated with having a relatively
new legal regime was that only the legal minds would be looked-up to for
enlightenment as to what the law was, is and ought to be for the lay person.
Another fascinating challenge was in the fact that Kenya was at the time headed
for elections with three additional elective positions of: the Governor;
Senator and Women Representative: on top of the historically three elective
positions of: the President, the Member of Parliament and the Councilor now
Member of County Assembly.
These unique challenges offered a great opportunity for the young legal
minds at KUSOL to put their expertise to work in providing the much needed
civic enlightenment to the eager public. This the students did with much zeal
and dedication to their own amazement on how the public appreciated their
priceless lectures on the evolving legal and political regimes brought about by
the Constitution of Kenya which had been promulgated on the 28th
August 2010.
Civic Enlightenment Network was formally registered as a
Non-Governmental Organisation in July 2013, exactly one year after its
establishment. C-Net continues to offer the much needed Civic Enlightenment to
members of the public through various initiatives and activities undertaken by
its membership. The need for civic enlightenment continues to be of paramount
importance in Kenya as a result of the legislative and governance processes
introduced by the Constitution of Kenya 2010. The implementation process of the
Constitution is just in its prime stages with the coming into power of the
first crop of leadership under the new system of devolved government. The
Constitution in being a self-implementing document, lays down the processes and
procedures for its implementation with a schedule on the necessary laws to be
put in place and other necessary institutions in achieving the aspirations of
all Kenyans. All this processes are underpinned by citizen participation and
involvement for which C-Net exists to
have realized.
The operational jurisdiction of C-Net reflects the diversity of its
membership and therefore reaches out to quite an extensive coverage of the
Country with specific focus on the following counties, including:
·
Eastern part of the Country with specific focus on
Machakos and Makueni Counties;
·
The Mt. Kenya region with specific focus in Nyeri
and Kiambu Counties;
·
Nairobi County;
·
The Coastal region with specific focus in
Taita-Taveta County
·
Nyanza and Western regions covering Kisumu, Kisii
and Bungoma Counties; and
·
The North Eastern region with an interest in
Garissa County.
C-Net undertakes its activities and initiatives in the areas of
operation specifically targeting the urban poor and rural people who suffer
from diminished access to information and lack civic enlightenment with regards
to political, economic and social developments in the country. This creates a
problem as such people are therefore left out of the development agenda of the
country and remain marginalized. This sad state of affairs is what the new Constitutional
dispensation was meant to address and in doing so, the members and partners of
C-Net have set out to play their part in advancing the Constitutional ideals of
transparency, inclusion and equality in governance and development matters.
Vision
Vision– A world where every person fully exercises their
right to access information and work towards their full potential.
Mission – Helping the Poor and Historically Marginalized
Communities Discover and Play their Rightful Role in Society by
Promoting Good Governance through Access to Justice,
Public Awareness and Public Participation.
Values
Core Values: Integrity, Transparency, Fidelity to the Law,
Partnership, Creativity, Efficiency, Communication.
