As the IRM researcher for Elgeyo Marakwet County (EMC), you’ve had to assess how impactful and well implemented some of the commitments in the County’s action plans have been. With EMC currently implementing its second action planAction plans are at the core of a government’s participation in OGP. They are the product of a co-creation process in which government and civil society jointly develop commitments to open governmen..., what would you say has been the most significant achievement so far of the county since joining the OGP Local Program in 2016?

Elgeyo Marakwet County (EMC) has pursued citizen participationAccording to OGP’s Articles of Governance, citizen participation occurs when “governments seek to mobilize citizens to engage in public debate, provide input, and make contributions that lead to m... More and involvement in government processes since joining OGP in 2016, and has made remarkable efforts to advance openness and inclusionOGP participating governments are working to create governments that truly serve all people. Commitments in this area may address persons with disabilities, women and girls, lesbian, gay, bisexual, tr... More in its governance.

In its two action plans, EMC has committed to enhancing civic participation, making 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 more inclusive for women and people with disabilitiesA government is not open unless it is accessible to all, and governments are working to ensure people with disabilities are afforded equitable services and opportunities to participate. Technical spec..., strengthening citizen feedback mechanisms, enhancing access to information, and improving healthcare systems.

Despite having just one year to implement some of these commitments, the County has increased and improved relations between the government and civil society organizations (CSO). 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... brought together government, CSOs and other non-governmental stakeholders to design and implement commitments that put forward the interest of the citizens. This has resulted in greater civil society engagement in the county.

Equally, EMC has also made substantial achievements in widening spaces for more meaningful citizen engagement, ensuring that special interest groups such as women, youthRecognizing that investing in youth means investing in a better future, OGP participating governments are creating meaningful opportunities for youth to participate in government processes. Technical ... More and people living with disabilities have access to information and that their voices are heard.

We’ve seen that many innovations and open government reforms are happening at the local level since citizens are closer to local government than the national ones. In your experience, how does open government look like at the local level and how does it differ from Kenya’s national OGP process?

Local governments are indeed closer to the citizens as compared to national government, and this view is no different in Elgeyo Marakwet. Citizens have closer access to, and better interaction with the local government as compared to national government. Accordingly, commitments made by the local government are more about the services that affect citizens directly. In Elgeyo, the county government’s commitments range from citizen participation in development planning and budgeting, to economic empowerment of special interest groups (women, youth and people living with disabilities. One notable achievement at the local level of open government is the two-way communication between government and citizens. Compared to the national government, the feedback process is shorter and less bureaucratic at the local level. Citizen voices are better heard and responded to by the local government. For instance, in its first action plan, EMC developed started a direct, real time communication channel between government and citizens. EMC designated communication lines where citizens are able to voice their concerns, file complaints/ compliments without much trouble or delay, and receive rapid government response. 

Elgeyo Marakwet County has proposed many innovative initiatives; from enhancing 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 processes and opportunities to widening civic engagement. From your early assessment what are some highlights from the County’s open government process and second action plan? 

Elgeyo Marakwet has had two action plans since joining OGP. While the first action plan focused on setting up systems to enable government work in a more transparent, accessible and accountable manner, the second plan has some specific, results oriented commitments that could directly translate to improved service delivery.

From an early assessment, I would highlight the initiative  to entrench 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 the procurement processes. Up until the second action plan, EMC had made an effort to simplify procurement processes and documentation. The second action plan aims to move forward open contracting efforts by creating spaces for citizen feedback, as well as improving access to government procurement opportunities for special interest groups (women, youth and people living with disabilities). Similarly, the open dataBy opening up data and making it sharable and reusable, governments can enable informed debate, better decision making, and the development of innovative new services. Technical specifications: Polici... commitmentOGP commitments are promises for reform co-created by governments and civil society and submitted as part of an action plan. Commitments typically include a description of the problem, concrete action... strives to provide a framework for government to put together and disclose county specific data relating to development and service delivery indicators. If fully implemented this commitment could substantially improve the quality of information provided to the citizens and help better inform planning and budgeting by government.