Enhancing citizen participation in local development planning in Nairobi and Makueni Counties in Kenya

Abstract

PPublic participation in development planning is critical for achieving sustainable development outcomes. Even though participation is still evolving, the existing theoretical models indicate that implementing public participation enhances responsiveness to community needs, leverages diverse skills, and instills a sense of ownership for sustainable development projects. Although Kenya has made strides in ensuring citizens' participation in local government development processes, local authorities and other stakeholders still find the existing public participation inadequate, marginalizing the needs of the local citizens in development planning. This paper aims to explore the current status and determine the factors that affect the active participation of citizens in development planning by examining the preparation process of the 2023- 2027 County Integrated Development Plans for Nairobi and Makueni Counties in Kenya. The intention was to enhance participation by devising strategies for sustainable participation practices. Based on the case study approach, involving literature review and textual analysis of key documents and county-specific County Integrated Development plans retrieved from official online sources, the results revealed that Nairobi and Makueni counties have distinct approaches and challenges in public participation. Despite budget constraints and perceived citizen apathy, Nairobi addresses historical service delivery issues through diverse mechanisms like social media and town hall meetings. Makueni excels in inclusivity using comprehensive matrices, but low budget allocation hinders participation. Both counties aim to enhance participation, with Makueni emphasizing innovative civic empowerment through citizen schools and promoting inclusive decision-making. Unfortunately, the impacts of participation could not be evaluated in both cases because the plans lack a dedicated section on the approach to public participation used to develop the plans. These results imply the need for more studies on the impacts of participation and the effects of integrating technology, such as AI, in participation to promote efficiency in the use of scarce county resources.