Democracy, by definition, needs the public to be engaged and active in its processes. Globally, civic engagement is influenced by a multitude of factors, including moral values, political trust, leadership approval, and a sense of personal efficacy. The Moral Foundations Theory(MFT) provides a framework for understanding how moral values shape individual behavior, including political and civic participation. It was first described in 2004 by Jonathan Haidt, Craig Joseph in the paper Intuitive ethics: How innately prepared intuitions generate culturally variable virtues (Haidt & Joseph, 2004), later the criteria for something to be called a foundation was published (Graham et al., 2013). The theory has identified five core moral foundations: Harm/Care, Fairness/Reciprocity, Ingroup/Loyalty, Authority/Respect, and Purity/Sanctity.

In Kenya a substantial portion of the population remains either low or moderately engaged in civic activities, with most citizens showing a high degree of distrust in leadership and public institutions. Issues such as corruption, clientelism and social inequalities further complicate the civic landscape. Against this backdrop we were curious about whether moral values, particularly those aligned with the African concepts of community obligations and purity, offer an alternative route to encouraging civic behavior. 

The MFT framework has been extensively studied in Western contexts, showing that moral values play a critical role in shaping political and civic behavior. For example, individuals who prioritize fairness and care are more likely to engage in liberal civic actions, while those who emphasize authority and purity are more inclined toward conservative engagement. However, its applicability to the African context remains underexplored. Our initial research in Kenya shows that the Community and Purity foundations are particularly relevant, reflecting the deeply ingrained cultural emphasis on social cohesion, traditional practices, and the preservation of societal values. Enhancing civic engagement in Kenya requires a nuanced understanding of how moral values intersect with political, economic, and social conditions. This will birth innovative strategies that integrate moral reasoning with efforts to promote civic participation, particularly among low and moderately engaged populations.

Through our research we were looking to understand:

• How do moral narratives framed around the Community and Purity/Sanctity foundations affect civic engagement behavior in Kenya?
• Can stories framed around these moral foundations lead to measurable changes in civic engagement behavior? We did lab studies to assess whether these framings lead to changes in behaviors such as volunteering, advocating for social causes, or participating in governance processes.
• How do messages from local community organizations influence civic engagement in Kenya? 
• What factors influence the effectiveness of moral framings in promoting civic engagement in a non-Western context like Kenya? 

We started by reviewing the literature on civic engagement in Kenya which showed that factors like leadership approval, perceived control over public affairs, and the expectations of efficacy are critical in shaping civic engagement. We then run a mobile lab in the greater Nairobi metropolitan area to ascertain the causal effects of different moral framings on civic behavior. Participants in the study were exposed to narratives framed around community and purity, and their subsequent civic actions measured

What we found suggests that moral foundations can significantly influence civic engagement in Kenya, where traditional values and communal obligations hold strong. From previous studies on MFT, it is clear that moral framing can guide how individuals view political and social participation. The evidence from Kenya’s specific context—where Community and Purity values are deeply ingrained—indicates that citizens may be more responsive to narratives that reflect these moral foundations.

The mobile lab also provided direct evidence on the causal relationship between moral narratives and civic behavior. The results showed that participants exposed to Community and Purity narratives exhibit higher levels of civic engagement, confirming that moral framing can be an effective tool for encouraging active citizenship. The findings could have broader implications for designing civic engagement strategies in similar cultural settings.

Additionally, evidence from literature on civic engagement in Kenya, particularly the factors of leadership approval and trust, supports the idea that moral narratives can be a powerful motivator when they align with citizens’ existing political and social beliefs. If citizens feel that their participation aligns with moral values they hold dear, such as preserving their community or protecting societal purity, they are more likely to engage actively.

There are three important nuances to consider when interpreting the evidence:

• Cultural diversity and regional variation: While the Community and Purity foundations are the most endorsed in Kenya, it is essential to recognize that Kenya is not culturally monolithic. Different ethnic groups and regions may prioritize moral values differently. For instance, what resonates in Nairobi may not have the same effect in rural areas or among different ethnic communities. Understanding these variations is critical for ensuring that the findings are not overly generalized.
• Moral framing’s impact on different engagement levels: The study focuses on low and moderately engaged individuals, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to those who are already highly engaged in civic activities. Highly engaged individuals may be motivated by factors beyond moral framing, such as political ideology, economic incentives, or personal connections to civic leaders. The study’s results should, therefore, be interpreted with caution regarding different levels of engagement.
• Interaction with political factors: Kenya’s political landscape, marked by issues such as corruption and ethnic divisions, may present challenges to the effectiveness of moral narratives. Even if moral framings resonate with individuals, broader structural problems like distrust in government or political instability could diminish their impact on civic participation.

While our study presented evidence for the Kenyan context, there remains a lot to be explored if we are to fully understand the relation between moral values and civic education in Kenya. For example, the study measures the immediate effects of moral narratives on civic behavior, but it is unclear whether these effects will persist over time. Longitudinal research would be necessary to determine whether moral framing can lead to sustained increases in civic engagement or if its impact diminishes once the initial narrative exposure fades.

The study also focuses on moral narratives from a secular perspective, yet religion plays a central role in shaping moral values in Kenya. It is likely that the purity foundation is influenced by both traditional and religious beliefs. There is potential to explore how religious institutions might use similar framings to civic engagement through moral appeals. 

Further research could also investigate how moral narratives intersect with economic incentives to create more holistic engagement strategies as it is impossible to ignore the role of economic factors in civic engagement. Economic hardships, unemployment, and inequality can significantly deter individuals from engaging in civic activities, regardless of their moral inclinations. 

Maintaining an engaged public is an important part of any functioning democracy. Without the participation of the people decisions are made by and for a select few, creating exclusionary politics that is inevitably  detrimental to society at large. The Moral Foundations Theory provides a framework that allows work with society’s moral values to encourage individual engagement in the civic process, which can often be slow and effort-filled work. However, if we do not do further work to understand how the theory is best applied in different contexts we could build multiple interventions on unvalidated assertions, creating complex interventions on unstable foundations. Understanding how morality moves in different contexts in sub saharan Africa is crucial to building lasting, inclusive and participatory democracies across the continent and this work is one piece in a larger complex puzzle. 

Refferences

Haidt, J., & Joseph, C. (2004). Intuitive Ethics: How Innately Prepared Intuitions Generate Culturally Variable Virtues. Daedalus, 133(4), 55–66. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20027945

Charles R. Graham, Wendy Woodfield, J. Buckley Harrison, A framework for institutional adoption and implementation of blended learning in higher education, The Internet and Higher Education, Volume 18, 2013, Pages 4-14, ISSN 1096-7516, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iheduc.2012.09.003.Salim Kombo (2023). That Voice in Your Ear? It’s Community: establishing community as a pillar for moral decision making in East Africa. The Busara blog. https://busara.global/blog/that-voice-in-your-ear-its-community/