NAIROBI, Kenya, May 27 — Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) Member Johnstone Muthama has underscored the need for popular participation of the citizenry in making political decisions, noting major democratic gains in the country have been achieved through political participation.
Speaking at the Third Annual Parliamentary Symposium in Nakuru County, Muthama said public participation plays a major role in shaping legislation and influencing decision-making processes as well as fostering public trust in institutions including the legislature.
“It has turned out that real democracy actually allows members of the public to be involved through public participation in decision-making, whether it is the amendment of the law, whether it is the implementation of projects, whether it is proposals or where should we. where should be directed,” Muthama said.
The keynote address at the symposium was delivered by the former Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana who took participants through the different mechanisms of achieving public participation ranging from public hearings, and memorandum to stakeholder engagements.
The three-day symposium programme is organized to run concurrently in five clusters including the actualization of the constitutional principle of public participation through lawmaking and tools for promoting public participation in legislative oversight.
Other include public participation in enhancing the representation role of a legislature, the role of research in propagating effective public participation, and capacity building and curriculum development in fostering best practices in public participation.
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