The Effect of Public Participation on Performance of Devolved Governance System in Kenya: Case of the Government of the County of Kwale

Abstract

Public engagement, openness, and accountability are strongly emphasized in the 2010 Kenyan Constitution and the accompanying legislative framework on devolution as ways to increase the effectiveness, equity, and inclusivity of government and service delivery. The devolution framework includes many laws mandating county governments to interact with residents during planning, budgeting, and service delivery monitoring and to make information publicly available. The aim of this research was to how public participation affect devolved governance system in Kenya at Kwale County Government. Specific objectives were developed for the study and included; to determine the impact of fair notice and time on Kenya's decentralized government structure and public engagement, to evaluate the impact of appropriate and accessible information on Kenya's decentralized government system and public engagement, to ascertain the impact of fair and open dialogue on Kenya's decentralized government structure and public engagement and to determine the impact of inclusive and Adequatet representation on Kenya's decentralized government system, public involvement. This research was guided by Agency Theory, Stewardship theory and Stakeholder Theory. This study applied descriptive survey design. Target population of this research was five hundred and eighty residents of the Kinango Sub County. Data was presented using tables as well as figures. To test how public participation and devolved governance system in Kenya are related, a linear multiple regression test was conducted and analysis was carried via coefficient of multiple regression. With a mean of (mean=3.81, SD=.782), the majority of respondents said that members are aware of the topics to be discussed. The least number of respondents, with a mean of (mean=2.89, SD=0.345), agreed that members had access to information on the topics to be addressed. The outcome implies that many legislations in Kenya have acknowledged public participation in governance issues. The researcher can conclude that the study came to the conclusion that the success of Kenya's devolved government system is positively impacted by public engagement. The researcher recommends that in order to ensure that everyone has an equal chance to participate, emphasis should be placed on using local language while engaging the public. To decide how long a member should remain in the forum, more research should be conducted. The county governments should establish and put into effect public participation statutes through their county assemblies. The Researcher recommends to the devolved government system in Kenya to use the structured framework that incorporates the four independent variables as a model for how to conduct public involvement.