Constructing a Democracy

Introduction

The construction of a democracy requires vision, ambition and decisiveness because democrats must not only construct the constitution of liberty for their homelands but also build a democracy that delivers a competent state, respectful of its citizens. Democratic designers must construct a regime that rests on a workable balance between the hopes and constraints of their societies and a constitution and institutions that would render the state not just democratic but also effective. Democratic designers should therefore counsel self restraint for political actors by acting within the rule of the law as well as ensuring that the interests of the minorities and the poor are represented. They advise government officials to respond to public participation at election time as well as during the course of normal political contestant. For democracies to deliver the institutional foundations for property rights must be secured for comprehensive market reliant reforms to generate sustained economic growth. Such rights should be respected not just for their contributions to long term growth but because they should be, above all, an entitlement for all citizens.

Democracy in Kenya

Since the attainment of independence, Kenya has made an impressive progress towards democratization hoped for by many Kenyans. This progress has however not been a walk in the park. This difficulty has stemmed from historical experiences and problems which made the struggle for democracy complex. This was due to the fact that KANU, the party which had been in power since independence for almost 40 years was merely an extension of the colonial rulers, overwhelmed by economic dependence, underdevelopment, debt burden, elite hegemony and social a...

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...iod of discussion the central authority, that is to say Stalin and a few self- chosen friends, decides the course of policy and bears no responsibility to an agency outside himself.

In Kenya, for example, at the dawn of independence the government created two arms in the ministry of finance; the treasury and the auditor general. The basic reason for creating the office of the auditor general was to provide a means of checks and balances to the treasury. Every year the Central Bank of Kenya presents a proposed budget to the exchequer through parliament for approval. This should be done after the auditor has presented a report to parliament detailing the expenditure from the previous financial year and if any money was misused the responsible individuals should be held responsible. Responsibility here meaning that one is held accountable for an action to another.