Assessing the impact of Vetting on Trust in Public Institutions: a case of the Iudiciary in Kenya

Abstract

Institutional reforms are meant to inject a sense of accountability in transitioning societies laced with human rights abuses and poor governance structures. Increasingly, vetting has become the most common institutional reform mechanism for transitional reforms meant to hold bad actors accountable; rid public institutions of bad leaders and more importantly (re)building public trust of such tainted institutions. The main objective of this study was to assess vetting as a mechanism for institutional reform in Kenya taking the case of the vetting exercise in the judiciary. Specifically, the study sought to establish whether there were changes in the levels of public trust in the judiciary since the vetting exercise began and what factors account for the changes experienced. The study relied on primary and secondary data. Primary data was sourced from Afrobarometer survey data for Round 4, 5 and 6. In addition, interviews were conducted with key informants who had been purposively selected. Interview guides were developed in line with the objectives of the study.