The Community-led Development (CLD) Movement Launches Kenya Chapter

This press release was first published on the Movement for Community-led Development website.
NAIROBI, 30 January 2018 The Community-led Development (CLD) Movement today unveiled the CLD Kenya Chapter at the Heifer International grounds in Nairobi. The Movement is an alliance of civil societies seeking the widespread adoption of grassroots initiatives to empower communities to become the authors of their own development. CLD works to achieve systemic change through long-term, steady interventions rather than short-term projects. In Africa, Kenya follows on chapters established in Ghana, Uganda, Malawi, Benin and Burkina Faso.

The Movement was formally launched alongside the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 in New York. Members include The Hunger Project, Global Communities, Oxfam, FHI360, World Vision and Concern Worldwide, among others. The CLD also has a presence in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Mexico and 10 African nations.
Click here for more information, photos, videos on the Kenya Chapter
The CLD Kenya seeks to create strategic partnerships and explore how to make community-led development a high priority on development agendas for the Government of Kenya, development partners, the private sector and other key stakeholders.
The Kenyan Government developmental initiatives, such as the Big4 Agenda and Vision 2030, can and must be realized by empowering communities to lead their own development. Article 10 (2) a, b and c of the Constitution of Kenya provides for citizen participation, which is not yet fully realized. The CLD Kenyan Chapter will promote citizen engagement in all counties and develop the capacity of county-level civil society through coordinated action.
CLD is important for Kenya in several ways: Community engagement is grounded in the Kenyan Constitution, it will help the government achieve its goals from devolution to the Big 4 Agenda, and it is critical to Kenya’s development as it transitions to a middle-income country, to ensure no one is left behind.
While addressing the attendees, CLD Founder, John Coonrod stated: “The full success of county government can be a beacon of hope for all of Africa. The Kenya chapter has a unique opportunity to contribute to the region through the many regional offices based in Nairobi.”
Keynote speaker Makunei County Governor and Professor Kivutha Kibwana said: “Our county government system has truly put power directly into the hands of our citizens. They now have the power to voice their highest aspirations and work in partnership with government and civil society to achieve them.”
Global Communities Country Director-Kimberly Tilock added: “Development is not something you do for people but with people.  It is certainly easier to just do something top down but to have lasting effective impact you need to effectively involve those that stand to benefit and have a stake in what is done and how it is done.“
Like-minded organizations and individuals are invited to join and contribute to the Movement by:
Raising the profile of community-led development in SDG-implementation discourse. To this end, Global Communities will develop a shared language for the practices, interventions and policies that enhance community-led development, and we will include this language in our internal and external communications. 
Organizing and participating in seminars, events and meetings that raise the profile of our collective commitment to CLD and its principles, and our approaches to facilitate it.
Building the evidence base for community-led development, and what identifying how best to enhance it.
Documenting and sharing best practices through coordinated social media campaigns, webinars and papers on the CLD Movement website.