Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions for Sustainable Development in Kenya

Abstract

The concern of the United Nations (UN) for global development started with the declaration of the Millennium Development Goals in the year 2000. Later in 2015, the UN developed 17 life-changing goals known as the Global Goals or the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UN expected each member country to come up with strategies for the implementation of the SDGs. Kenya’s strategies, and challenges facing them, have not been adequately analyzed and documented. This paper will add to the existing global literature in the area of SDGs implementation. SDG 16 falls under the political pillar that speaks to a democratic society based on the rule of law. This Goal has 12 targets and 23 indicators. SDG 16 also aims at promoting peaceful and inclusive communities for sustainable development. In addition, it aims at providing access to justice, accountability, and inclusive institutions at all levels. This paper sought to examine Kenya’s efforts to achieve SDG 16 by examining Kenya’s strategies to achieve 6 of the 12 targets. The overall aim was to examine Kenya’s strategies to achieve sustainable development, while highlighting the challenges faced. Desktop research was carried out using a descriptive research design. Qualitative data was collected from internal and external sources. The findings show that Kenya has made great progress in attaining SDG 16 by developing strategies such as; the new Constitution, a number of Acts, like the Children’s Act, an independent Judiciary, a National Police Service, and a number of Commissions like the Gender Commission. It is recommended that, in order to fully attain SDG 16, more financial support is needed for the institutions created and there needs to be political goodwill.