President Kenyatta was not shy in warning off Western interests from funding any civil society governance work in the next nine months. In his Jamhuri Day speech, he spoke of support from overseas ‘in the guise of supporting good governance or civic education. However, its true intention is to influence our electoral choices.’ He urged Kenyans to reject such attempts to influence the August poll, citing allegations of foreign interference in the recent United States presidential polls.

In ensuring that civil society organisations stay quiet over the next nine months, responsibility for the NGO Coordination Board has been shifted from the Ministry of Devolution to the Ministry of the Interior. The move is one that is meant to be intimidating, with the Ministry of the Interior being responsible for internal security matters. This may not be in the interests of investors in the petroleum sector. The only significant NGO platform working on oil and gas issues is the Kenya Civil Society Platform for Oil and Gas, led by Charles Wanguhu. This is funded by Oxfam America and has thus far developed good relationships with joint venture partners, and made well-informed contributions on industry issues. Restricting its freedom to operate may just make such initiatives more susceptible to local political interests, and the funding that comes with it.