Action plan – Makueni, Kenya, 2021 – 2022

At-a-Glance

Duration

June 2022

Date Submitted

31st August 2021

Foreword(s)

The Makueni County action plan 1  has been developed  through a consultative process involving the media, civil society, private sectorGovernments are working to open private sector practices as well — including through beneficial ownership transparency, open contracting, and regulating environmental standards. Technical specificat... More and citizens. This action plan has greater emphasis on the core principles of service delivery, public participationGiving citizens opportunities to provide input into government decision-making leads to more effective governance, improved public service delivery, and more equitable outcomes. Technical specificatio... and access to information at the grassroots level.

Through the co-creation processCollaboration between government, civil society and other stakeholders (e.g., citizens, academics, private sector) is at the heart of the OGP process. Participating governments must ensure that a dive..., the action plan intends to outline openness and accountability by empowering the recipient of government services.

The stakeholders involved have agreed on a collaboration framework of sharing ideas and disseminating information to public through implementation of this action plan.

Open Government Challenges, Opportunities and Strategic Vision

This subsection details the Open Government Strategic Vision in your local area that should guide the commitments for the action plan period.

What is the long-term vision for open government in your context and jurisdiction?

Makueni county government as a sub national entity has been in the forefront to co-create with its citizens through a robust public participation model and detailed civic educationAccountability within the public education system is key to improving outcomes and attainment, and accountability is nearly impossible without transparent policies and opportunities for participation ... outreach programmes.

In depth engagement with the citizens through civic education has created a citizenry  that is aware of their responsibilities and roles as given by the Kenyan constitution.

The long term-vision for open government is in line with the county vision to have a prosperous valued based county with high quality of life by transforming the livelihoods of each household through accountable leadership that creates an enabling environment for inclusive, effective and efficient service delivery.

What are the achievements in open government to date (for example, recent open government reforms)?

Makueni is one of the leading counties in Kenya on public participation based on its robust framework and practice (see here). Residents play a key role in project planning, public procurementTransparency in the procurement process can help combat corruption and waste that plagues a significant portion of public procurement budgets globally. Technical specifications: Commitments that aim t... More of goods and services, implementation of projects and public input into policies. An example of such is our institutionalized Project Management Committees (PMC’s). For every project that is approved in the county, a PMC is formed with members elected in a public forum. This has greatly enhanced transparencyAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, transparency occurs when “government-held information (including on activities and decisions) is open, comprehensive, timely, freely available to the pub... More and accountability in implementation of projects.

On International Anti-Corruption Day 9 December 2019, we launched an open contracting portal (see here) in collaboration with Hivos and Development Gateway. At the time of launch, the portal made public 133 contracts, 326 projects and Kshs 669Million worth of tenders. Now, as part of the county’s COVID-19 open response, the county is publishing COVID-19 procurement data on the platform. With continued support from our partners, Hivos and Development Gateway, the second phase will; (i) increase citizen engagement through low tech simplified procurement information delivery and; (ii) support the government’s efficiency in improved data collection and timeliness using a low tech data collection tool for the Project Management Committees.

What are the current challenges/areas for improvement in open government that the jurisdiction wishes to tackle?

The implementation of the Makueni county action plan touches on key areas that involve public participation, service delivery and access to information. In order to successfully achieve the targets of this action plan, the commitments must influence tangible populations at the grassroots level. Largely much of the population is rural based with limited access to internet services. The County has adopted low-tech methodologies through bulk text messages where citizens provide their feedback about project implementation even in remote areas where use of smart phones is a challenge. In addition the county has equipped  community information centers where citizens will be encouraged to access information about government projects

What are the medium-term open government goals that the government wants to achieve?

The County Government plans to pursue beneficial ownershipDisclosing beneficial owners — those who ultimately control or profit from a business — is essential for combating corruption, stemming illicit financial flows, and fighting tax evasion. Technical... More as one its key anti-corruption measures. Disclosure of information relating to anonymous companies and individuals who profit from businesses will assist in combating corruption, stem illicit financial flows and taxPlacing transparency, accountability, and participation at the center of tax policy can ensure that burdens are distributed equitably across society. Technical specifications: Commitments related to c... evasion.

The county Government has also embarked on phase II of Open ContractingA transparent procurement process, known as open contracting, increases competition, improves public service delivery, and ensures governments better value for their money. Technical specifications: C... More Data Standards whereby citizens will be able to report on real times basis on project implementation. This will ensure value for money on all projects in addition to accommodating public participation and sustainability of projects. Further, as part of its Fiscal Openness and in order to enhance transparency, the County has put measures in place to publish and invite the public to debate and interrogate all audit reports done by independent organizations.

How does this action plan contribute to achieve the Open Government Strategic Vision?

This Makueni county action plan has endeavored to make the county government more responsive to the needs of its citizens by elaborately outlining the mechanisms through which the citizens are directly involved in development of policies that governor the running of the government.

How does the open government strategic vision contribute to the accomplishment of the current administration’s overall policy goals?

The current administration’s overall policy goal is to uplift the livelihood of every household by economically empowering citizens through county projects. Open government strategic vision will therefore greatly contribute to the accomplishment of this policy goals through the accountability measures that the  government has allowed the public to exercise.

Engagement and Coordination in the Open Government Strategic Vision and OGP Action Plan

Please list the lead institutions responsible for the implementation of this OGP action plan.

• The Department of Finance and Socio-Economic Planning
• The Department of Devolution, County Administration, Participatory Development, Youth and Public Service
• Department of Water and Sanitation

What kind of institutional arrangements are in place to coordinate between government agencies and departments to implement the OGP action plan?

The county has in place a cluster committee that has been appointed in writing and coordinated by the point of contact person.

This committee will be responsible for the action plan and besides there is constant communication with other stakeholders at designated different forums.

What kind of spaces have you used or created to enable the collaboration between government and civil society in the co-creation and implementation of this action plan? Mention both offline and online spaces.

The co-creation process involved both virtual and physical meetings. Due to COVID-19 protocols, most of the meetings were held on  online platforms through zoom, teams, google calls, WhatsApp groups and mobile telephone calls.

What measures did you take to ensure diversity of representation (including vulnerable or marginalized populations) in these spaces?

As county government we recognize the roles of marginalized groups. One of our commitments is to improve the quality of public participation through enhancing the involvement of People Living with Disabilities(PwD), Youth and women participating in the decision-making process.

Our representation involved consideration genderOGP participating governments are bringing gender perspectives to popular policy areas, ensuring diversity in participatory processes, and specifically targeting gender gaps in policies to address gov... More values, regional balancing,  youth, women and People Living with Disabilities

Who participated in these spaces?

The co-creation process was conducted through the following groups;

• civil society
• contractors
• media
• private sector
• non-governmental organizations

How many groups participated in these spaces?

5

How many public-facing meetings were held in the co-creation process?

13

How will government and non-governmental stakeholders continue to collaborate through the implementation of the action plan?

The different stakeholders have agreed on a framework to continue having forums both online and physical meeting through out the implementation of this action plan.

The county has a Memorandum of Understanding with some of the actors which outlines roles of each party.

Further, the county has also budgeted to facilitate OGP forums.

Please describe the independent Monitoring Body you have identified for this plan.

The county government has a Service Delivery Unit (SDU) that is responsible for monitoring and evaluation of all county government undertakings. This body shall be monitoring progress of the action plan and give periodic reports.

Provide the contact details for the independent monitoring body.

• Redempta Kavindu, Ms, kredempta2010@gmail.comm

What types of activities will you have in place to discuss progress on commitments with stakeholders?

There shall be planned meetings identified with stakeholders to discuss progress on commitments.

There will also be workshops and training sessions all intended to enhance progress on commitments.

How will you regularly check in on progress with implementing agencies?

Through a broad-based network of constant communications and well outlined workplan based on the commitment  timelines. There will be walk-in visits as well as telephone calls and online meetings.

How will you share the results of your monitoring efforts with the public?

We shall involved the media in the implementation and regularly engage them to communicate out monitoring efforts.

The county has a functional Open  Contracting Portal and a website that we will be posting  our monitoring efforts.

Endorsement from Non-Governmental Stakeholders

• Anthony Ndolo, Mr, Mobilization Agency for Paralegal Communities in Africa –Trust
• Charlene Migwe, Ms, Development Gateway
• Leonida Mutuku, Ms, Local Development Research Institute