- Civic education is paramount in the development of a nation. The general flow of information and learning to all civilians impacts the country all round. The general literacy on the country’s affairs further promotes transparency between the regime of the day and its subjects.
The County Civic Education Bill 2024, sponsored by Senator Esther Okenyuri and read at the Senate on April 30, 2024, aims to illuminate the monetary support the National and County Governments ought to provide for promoting metropolitan education efforts across the country.
Under this Bill, County Governments will play a crucial role by allocating resources from their annual budgets to accelerate this initiative. Additionally, County Executive Committee members are expected to collaborate with local and international educational institutions to effectively implement this amendment.
The Senator acknowledged the gap in the legal foundation in the country, a state that has distorted the shape of citizenship.
“Despite the importance of civic education, Kenya currently lacks a comprehensive legal framework that provides for its promotion and regulation. Civic education activities are often fragmented, ad hoc and insufficiently funded resulting in low levels of civic awareness and engagement among the citizens,” the Bill read in part.
The validation of this Bill would impart citizens with knowledge about governance, their rights and responsibilities, and how to exercise them. This would then facilitate political change and public participation, resulting in responsive citizenship; volunteerism.
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Civil literacy would build news proficiency, clearly exposing the country's adversities. This would result in reasoned decision-making, ensuring space for accommodating disadvantaged groups such as poor and marginalized communities regarding their social and political rights.
Civic education is paramount in the development of a nation. The general flow of information and learning to all civilians impacts the country all round. The general literacy on the country’s affairs further promotes transparency between the regime of the day and its subjects.