Dear friends of Wikimedia Kenya!
I am looking forward meeting some of you in Berlin in two weeks - at the Wikimedia Conference aka. Chapters Meeting.
Since 2009 some chapter representatives have been thinking about how to better improve the collaboration between chapters and how the governance of Wikimedia Chapters should work without being too dependant on the Wikimedia Foundation and their will.
Since the end of 2011 a plan has been created and discussed how we could achieve this by having a "Chapters Council", an association which acts as a common body of all chapters which want to become a member. Within this council chapter representatives would discuss and decide together on inter-chapter topics.
The discussion is going on in Meta wiki: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Chapters_Council
At the Finance Meeting in Paris by the end of February we discussed that we want to take the opportunity and move forward so we can decide on the Chapters Council in Berlin.
This includes that chapter representatives discuss the topic with their members and boards and take a decision whether they want to support and be part of the Chapters Association or not (yet). Important for the discussions in Berlin is that the chapter representatives have a mandate to discuss the charta there and be able to make official statements on behalf of their chapter.
I know that Wikimedia Kenya doesn't have a board yet but I hope that you will have the time to discuss the topic and participate at the discussions in Berlin.
If this is not possible or too early for you to decide - no problem. Chapters can always decide to join later after they have observed the process and developed themselves.
At least I want to make sure that we don't leave you behind and catch you by surprise when you encounter this discussion in Berlin. And of course it is helpful to the establishment of the new association if we have the support by many chapters.
Here is a list of supporting chapters and their official statements: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Chapters_Council/Chapter_Support
As you see you can also stay neutral or even oppose the idea. That's perfectly ok.
/Manuel