Strengthening Citizen Engagement and Public Participation (KEMAC0001)

Commitment ID

KEMAC0001

Commitment Title

Strengthening Citizen Engagement and Public Participation

Problem

Machakos County struggles with limited citizen engagement in governance and policy-making among marginalized groups—particularly youth, women, and persons with disabilities (PWDs). Additionally, the absence of robust digital infrastructure hinders inclusive and transparent citizen engagement, weakening accountability and reducing the responsiveness of government institutions to public concerns. This commitment seeks to bridge these gaps by fostering a more participatory, inclusive, and technology-driven governance framework.

Status quo

The governor and her team have made commendable efforts to attend public participation forums across all 40 wards. However, citizen engagement remains inconsistent and ineffective due to limited awareness, large geographical size of the County, and accessibility challenges, particularly for marginalized groups such as persons with disabilities (PWDs) and rural communities. Additionally, the absence of structured feedback mechanisms prevents meaningful incorporation of citizen input into government policies. Furthermore, insufficient technological integration—such as live-streaming, digital surveys, and interactive communication channels—continues to hinder inclusive and effective participation, limiting transparency and responsiveness in governance.

Action

This commitment seeks to enhance public participation and accountability by establishing structured and inclusive guidelines to ensure all citizens have a voice in governance. It includes implementing live-streaming for public forums to improve accessibility, launching a citizen feedback portal for petitions, comments, and recommendations, and upgrading the Machakos Call Centre to enhance real-time responsiveness. Additionally, awareness campaigns will be conducted to educate and encourage citizens to actively engage in decision-making processes, fostering a more transparent, inclusive, and participatory governance system.

How will the commitment contribute to solving the public problem described above?

These efforts will lead to:

• Enhanced Transparency: Ensures key government processes and decisions are open and accessible to the public.
• Increased Public Participation: Expands access to public forums, allowing more citizens to engage in governance.
• Inclusion of Marginalized Groups: Strengthens representation in decision-making to ensure equitable participation.
• Improved Accountability: Introduces real-time citizen feedback mechanisms for better oversight and responsiveness.
• Strengthened Public Trust: Fosters confidence in governance through open and participatory administration.
• More Effective Service Delivery: Enables data-driven decision-making and timely policy interventions.

What long-term goal as identified in your Open Government Strategy does this commitment relate to?

This commitment advances Machakos County’s vision of becoming a model for open governance by fostering participatory decision-making, leveraging digital transformation, and institutionalizing transparency. By ensuring inclusivity, accountability, and data-driven governance, the county aims to build public trust, enhance service delivery, and create a more responsive and citizen centric government.

Primary Policy Area

Civic Space, Digital Governance

Primary Sector

Media and Telecommunications, Public Services (general)

What OGP value is this commitment relevant to?