Lack of effective public participation undermining democracy

Public participation forum on CBC in Meru County. [George Kaimenyi, Standard]

Kenya is a nation governed by democratic principles. In recent years, we have made significant strides in improving our governance.

According to Article 1 of our constitution, sovereign power belongs to the people. The people exercise this power through their democratically elected representatives, which is then delegated to the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary.

As much as we have a representative government, it is imperative that citizens are intentionally engaged before key policy decisions are made to ensure that the outcomes are beneficial to everyone. There's a place for executive decisions but this can never replace the voice of the people.

Public participation is an indispensable cog in our democracy. It is anchored in our law. Poor organisation or exclusion of public participation forums during the deliberation of vital political, economic and social policies is a threat to the democratic gains we have made since independence and can even be construed to be dictatorial.

The efforts being made to ensure that the people have a say in matters that affect them as espoused in Article 174(d) and 232(d) of the Constitution of Kenya are commendable. Unfortunately, absence of and in some cases, poorly organised meetings, have resulted in denial of this right.

One of the main challenges to public participation in Kenya is socio-economic disparities. Wealthy and powerful individuals and groups often dominate political discourse, while ordinary folk are left out of the conversation.

This leads to policies and decisions that favour the elite at the expense of the majority of the population. Secondly, the goal should not just be about ticking boxes to indicate that forums were held. For these forums to be effective and draw meaningful input from citizens, they need to be well planned, budgeted for and marketed, taking the work schedules of the majority into consideration.

In addition, limited access to information, misinformation and disinformation also play a role in low turn-out at organised forums, thus hindering their effectiveness. When people lack access to factual information about issues and decision-making processes, they are unable to engage in meaningful dialogue.

The consequences of absence of effective public participation are severe. For starters, governance becomes less accountable and transparent. The elite are empowered at the expense of the rest of the population, and democratic institutions and processes are weakened.

This is not just a theoretical concern, there are many examples of exclusionary governance on crucial issues in Kenya. For instance, community-driven development projects are often undermined by lack of or limited participation of a critical mass of members of the society.

In the first week of January, there were public participation forums held in my constituency Lang'ata to enable residents give their views as pertains the use of the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF).

The highest turn-out was in Mugumoini Ward, with the other wards registering poor attendance. Several people attended and shared their views, but this was not representative of a critical mass vis-a-vis the number of residents or voters in the constituency. In this case, as much as public participation was conducted, there is room for improvement.

At the national level, we're are yet to see public participation on two fundamental issues; the lifting of a 10-year ban on cultivation and importation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and President Ruto's proposal to abolish the Higher Education Loans Board and replace it with a different body to fund tertiary education.