Freedom in Speech

Written by Immah REID Saturday, 30 June 2012 09:21

Since its inception in 2006, The Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK)has gone through various phases of growth and development marked by various challenges and numerous triumphs alike.

The second half of 2012 is one that is very crucial in the life and journey of GALCK. We have been setting in place and are now rolling out an intense process, working with its existing and new member organizations, pulling ideas from those who have been there before, critics and fans alike, bringing together activists in the larger social justice movement and consulting widely to map out the future of LGBTI organizing in Kenya.

July through to December 2012 is an opportune time at GALCK to reflect on who we are, what we stand for, and where we are going. This is a time we will be answering the crucial questions: If GALCK is a solution, what is the problem? If GALCK can respond to a problem, then what solutions should we offer? This will not only be a great time of self-reflection, but also of identity forming, of visioning and of strategic thinking and strategic positioning.

This will not be a conventional strategic planning process, but then again, our work is not. We will be holding issue based, needs based conversations with members of the LGBTI community in Kenya for what their coalition will look like in years ahead. From the constellation of what we collect from the community that we serve, we will engage also with representatives of LGBTI groups from different parts of the country in furthering these discussions. Besides that, the process will also explore issues of governance models, new group adoption and representations within the coalition, and the primary mandate(s) of this coalition.

This will certainly be an exciting and rewarding process, yet again also a surgical one. We will also be reflecting critically on what has not been working well, and take lessons in on where we will need to really improve on, and the kinds of changes that we will need to make to remain a relevant solution provider to our constituencies.

Expect to see a request for your contribution to this process at different times.

GALCK Team Transition Management

Even as GALCK undertakes this process of mapping out the future of LGBTI organizing in Kenya, as a body, GALCK is run by a board and secretariat constituted of

passionate activists and highly qualified and passionate professionals. There are a number of transitions that will be happening that we feel it’s important to bring you up to speed about:

Programs Coordinator

The programs department being one of GALCK’s most important departments under the executive stewardship of the outgoing Programs coordinator has received remarkable praise from the donor and LGBTI communities at large following its numerous achievements. Throughout his tenure, the coordinator has demonstrated high levels of leadership, responsibility andintegrity and GALCK is only too proud to release him to stretch his wings and grow even more and impact the community at a larger space. All the while, the necessary handover processes are underway. The call for the replacement of the Programmes Coordinator is here: http://galck.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=179:vacancy-announcement-programs-coordinator&catid=34:news&Itemid=108

Finance Officer

Accountability in the financial docket has never been more imperative. The personnel within this department by default are expected to demonstratehigh levels of competence, reliability, professionalism and most of all honesty. The outgoing officer has managed to work tirelessly in not only developing, but also maintaining a healthy relationship/correspondence with the donor community in terms of finances. Financial accountability and reporting has remained one of GALCK’smost celebrated successes, through various steep learning curves. The books are often clean and the financial growth of GALCK has been one that is enviable. The finance officer will leave GALCK’s finance department much better than he found it, with financial systems and structures, operational internal controls, checks and balances, and audited reports till mid-2012. We celebrate as he also moves to further his professional growth in the areas of management accounting, finance and entrepreneurship.

For both the Finance Officer and the Programs Coordinator, exit interviewsare being carried out. The interviews will capture lessons learnt from the outgoing staff while in office. They will also feature in the history of GALCK and leave behind something for greater secretariat management, movement building experiences and relationships enhancement.

General Manager

In light of the immediate transition processes that have already commenced, the GALCK board members in consensus requested that the General Manager continues to serve the community as the head of the coalition until further notice. He agreed to do so in order to:

1. Ensure effective completion and closure of the initial three year cycles for the GALCK projects most of which are coming to an end at the end of this year.
2. Lead the coalition through the process of mapping out the future of LGBTI organizing in Kenya and a midterm review of the strategic plan
3. Mobilize resources for the implementation of GALCK’s strategic plan including setting in place mechanisms for sustainability
4. Orient the new teams (new staff, new board) to the newness of what GALCK heartbeat will be pulsating with including vision, on-going advocacy work, policies, systems that ensure proper continuity of initiatives and effective succession.

Given the lessons learnt from the previous historic transitions of the former General Managers of GALCK, a transition committee will be set up after the Biennial General Meeting to work with the sitting GM and work out an effective transition process ensuring that these processes happen in a timely, orderly and effective manner towards the end of 2012.

The GALCK Board

The sitting GALCK board constitutes six board members representing the current 6 member organizations and an additional two advisory membersas well as the General Manager, who is an ex-officio. This team will continue in office for two months together with a new board that comes on board after the Biennial General Meeting. The two month transition period will serve as a hand over time. We are exploring a wide array of models of governance for a reckonable coalition within a movement. The new board will be tasked with a huge responsibility of ensuring that the mapped future of LGBTI organizing in Kenya is arrived at step by step, precept upon precept.

The Conclusion

The effectiveness, consultation and out-of-the-norm manner, with which GALCK is managing these transitions and projecting ahead, is reflective of the growth that has been experienced in the last two years. It is more reflective of the fact that indeed, greater times lie ahead.