The fact that the World Social Forum is being held in Kenya during an election year has acted as a reconnection point for them to deal with issues that were being swept under the table.

Mr Davinder Lamber of the Kenya Human Rights Network said: “The WSF has connected local issues with the global struggles.”

This was reiterated by Ms Mary Robinson, the former Executive Director of United NATIONS Human Rights Commission. She said the Forum was a calling point and that everyone should have a right and that everyone is entitled to freedom.

Looking back, the Kenya civil society readily acknowledged that they were facing many challenges. Plagued by rifts and government interference, the once vibrant civil society is a pale shadow of its former self.

But with over 200,000 delegates from the civil society in Nairobi pushing for social justice through social movement, many agreed that this meeting had given them a fresh lease of life.

Actors within the sector agree that there have been rifts in the past that needed to be healed if the sector is to have the resilience to question issues on governance within government and engage effectively with the public.

The Executive Director of the National Convention Executive Council, Mr Cyprian Nyamwamu, said that the World Social Forum is like a God sent opportunity for Kenyans and it is also a re-awakening call that all is not well within the civil society.

Nyamwamu lamented that once upon a time the civil society was vibrant and if the situation had remained the same Kenya would be having a strong movement on social issues.

He reiterated: “The WSF has offered an opportunity for the sector to bring into focus issues like social justice that have remained in the backdrop for a long time in the country.”

He said that the rules of engagement by the civil society have shifted with time dividing sector. Most of the civil society groups have embraced the government into cooperation in various areas.

He emphasised that while the cooperation has borne fruits in certain areas, there had been a lull in the way the sector was coming out to question issues of human rights abuses such as corruption.

 “I expect the rules of engagement will change after the WSF meeting. I expect to see a surge in the number of social movements and their engagement with the state,” he said.

Nyamwamu reiterated that social movements in the country will change immediately after this meeting. He foresees a number of them starting to engage in massive rallies to push reform agendas.

“Like other parts of the world where social movements are a great force, I expect to see big rallies and reform agendas taken to the people directly through these forums,” he added.  

And a social activist, Mr Churchill Suba concurred that the reference on civil society as ‘busy bodies’ might soon come to an end after the WSF.

“What we are going to witness after the WSF will be a tremendous renewal of the Kenyan civil society in terms on engagement with both the government and the public,” he said.

He added that the WSF will present a forum where Kenya will be in the limelight and the Kenyan civil society will have to deal with the issues at hand with a universal front.