Civil Society Organisations’ Policy Entrepreneurship Roles in Kenya and Uganda’s Housing Policies

Abstract

The presence and how civil societies operate is a function of a democratic society. Civic space has been used to measure the degree of a political regime’s openness, transparency and government political responsiveness in addressing policy problems. Despite confronting challenges primarily bordering on the state’s autocratic norms, civic spaces are growing in Eastern Africa, leading to an expanded role of non-state actors in public policy processes. This chapter explores the role of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) as policy entrepreneurs in the housing policies in Uganda and Kenya. It shows how despite prevailing unfavourable political conditions, the CSOs have made efforts to influence policy agenda in the region with varying outcomes. An examination of the housing policy framework of Uganda and Kenya reveals that overall, housing policies have evolved progressively since independence and with the growth of these countries’ democratic spaces. In this transformation, the CSOs have effectively assisted governments in improving the housing situation through their advocacy, technical collaborations or policy argumentation, citizen mobilisation, research and information sharing to assist in policy framing, monitoring and evaluation.