The County Government of Nyandarua wants its officials to freely avail public records.
Speaking at a forum on media and public participation held at the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) in Ol’Kalou, County Secretary Mr. Frank Muchina said the government is keen on informing, consulting and involving citizens in all county affairs.
“For us, an interested party may be any person or group of people with an interest to protect, a stake in an issue, or knowledge to contribute, and whose participation is critical to ensure wide acceptability of the Government’s undertakings,” he said.
County officials, he said, must ensure that citizens can access public records and are continuously updated on county activities, to increase their understanding about proposed projects and services.
“If a member of the public requests a record, a responsible authority must provide a copy of the record in a timely manner,” he said.
And while the county is committed to engaging its residents across various platforms, Mr. Muchina warned that 2017 campaigns were fast interfering with sober discussions.
“How we can avoid politics in public participation is a serious business for us all,” he said.
Journalists in Nyandarua, he said, must give voice to residents and push their interests into the county’s agenda.
“Beyond looking at the failures of the Government, journalists can publish and broadcast success stories that bring out its efforts and struggles to ensure that the public gets value for its money and there is fairness in sharing and utilization of resources,” he said.
Members of the public called on the county government to increase its financial support for women, sportspeople, environmentalists, small scale traders, the disabled and people living with HIV/Aids and include them in its activities.
The County Executive Committee member in charge of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr. Nderi Ndiani, assured participants at the forum that the county will continue using Churches, public barazas and bodabodas to deliver public notices even as it invests in modern tools of communication.
He said the government has increased its allocation for HIV/Aids this year to Kshs. 4 million, and bought medicine worth Kshs. 100 million for the JM Kariuki Memorial Hospital in Ol’Kalou.
“We will buy required equipment at the hospital, as we wait for the national government to act on its obligations,” he said.
The forum was organized by Media Focus in Africa.
“It is our last after similar engagements in Narok and Taita Taveta counties, but the first time high-level officials of a county have attended any of our fora and also remained to respond to public queries,” said Mr. Harrison Manga, the organisation’s project co-ordinator.
