Without the public there's no devolution

Public participation is one of the core foundations of any democratic system of governance.

It has been embraced globally; the global landscape has migrated from the Orwellian era of governance to free democratic space.

Kenya’s devolved system of governance led to the decentralisation of governance to the 47 counties. As established by the Constitution, one of the key roles of devolution is to give powers of self-governance to the people.

The central government has no mandate in deciding county issues. Devolution was meant to shift some key decision-making processes from central to county governments, creating a window of opportunity for public participation at the grassroots.

This is backed by a Constitution and legal framework that includes provisions for the Government to share information, consult the public and regularly gather citizen feedback. County governance can only be effective through participation of citizens. It is a key ingredient to effective decentralisation.

But both county and national government officials with the responsibility of offering public participation platforms to the people must bear in mind that it is only public participation when the views and opinions sought have an influence to the final decision.

It is untenable to subject the duly sought opinions to such mundane principles like the infamous tyranny of numbers. In public participation every opinion counts.

County governments must prioritise the promotion of public participation in their respective counties. They should set aside resources in advance that will sustain effective public participation in various development issues and intended projects in their counties.
The Government must make it easy for citizens to take part in various governance initiatives.