The Cost of Politics in Kenya
In this episode, Kamau Wairuri talks to Tom Mboya, a governance consultant, on the cost of politics in Kenya. Our discussion is based on the findings of a study that Tom conducted with Prof Karuti Kanyinga on the topic. The study is a part of a global study. The findings can be found on https://www.costofpolitics.net/ Tom and I discussed how much candidates spend in their election campaigns and why this cost varies by party, region and gender of the candidate. We also talked about the impact that the rising costs of election campaigns is having on Kenyan politics, including how it influences the kind of people who can offer themselves as candidates for election. References: Karuti Kanyinga & Tom Mboya. The cost of politics in Kenya Implications for political participation and development. (Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD), London and Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD), The Hague, July 2021). <https://www.costofpolitics.net/reports/east-africa/view/37693cfc748049e45d87b8c7d8b9aacd/>
Tom Mboya
Tom is a governance consultant with a broad range of experience in the
field, specifically in anti-corruption, parliamentary democracy, public
policy, research, and advocacy. He has worked with governments,
parliaments, civil society, as well as various international organizations.
A Kenyan national, and educated at tertiary levels in the US, UK, & South
Africa, Tom has dedicated himself to the fight against corruption and
pursuit of justice and accountability for people from all walks of life. In so
doing, he has spent almost two decades working with governments,
parliaments, and civil society (mostly in Africa) providing technical
support in areas such as constitutional reform, institutional capacity
building, political affairs, and policy development.
Specifically, Tom has worked with organizations such as UN-HABITAT, the African Parliamentarians Network Against Corruption (APNAC), the State University of New York (SUNY) Parliamentary Support Program, the Africa Center for Open Governance (AfriCOG), and the Inter-parliamentary Union (IPU), the British High Commission (Nairobi, Kenya), the Government of Kenya, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, and the National Democratic Institute (NDI).
In addition to providing strategic advice to a range of clients, Tom is also an established researcher, and has written and published extensively on governance and political issues (tmboya.wordpress.com).
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