Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi wants Kenyan Parliament to fast-track the enactment of the Public Participation Bill 2024 to establish structured and cost-effective mechanisms for citizen involvement in governance.

Speaking during an Iftar dinner at a Malindi hotel, organised by the Malindi Education and Development Association (MEDA), Mudavadi underlined the need to streamline public participation processes to curb excessive costs and avoid unnecessary litigation.

He gave as an example the financial strain caused by the current approach, noting that Kenya spends billions of shillings annually on public participation, hindering the enactment of legislation and the implementation of government programs.

“It is important as a country to uphold public participation because it is enshrined in the Constitution. I therefore appeal to our MPs to pass the Public Participation Bill to make the process more efficient,” Mudavadi said.

He revealed that government agencies often conduct separate public participation exercises for the same legislation or programme, leading to unsustainable expenditures.

“For instance, in the Department of Parliamentary Affairs within my office, we have compiled a list of over 700 legislative agendas awaiting parliamentary debate and approval. The cumulative cost of public participation for these agendas exceeds Ksh7 billion, which is unsustainable,” he explained.

Mudavadi said public participation costs for individual legislation range between Ksh10 million and Ksh100 million, diverting funds from critical sectors such as healthcare, which is already grappling with shortages of drugs and personnel.

He called for a unified approach to public participation and urged the auditor-general to audit funds allocated for these exercises.

“The national government, the national assembly, the senate, county governments and county assemblies all conduct separate public participation for the same legislation. We need the auditor-general to review this issue and provide guidance. Public participation must be conducted efficiently to avoid draining resources needed for development projects,” Mudavadi said.

Mudavadi also defended the broad-based government approach, saying the importance of unity among leaders to ensure equitable resource allocation across the country.

He acknowledged the challenges of securing a parliamentary majority and praised the cooperation between Kenya Kwanza and ODM within the broad-based government as a unique opportunity to advance the national agenda for long-term progress.

Elected leaders from the coast region echoed Mudavadi’s sentiments on unity and inclusive governance and commended President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga for fostering political collaboration, noting that such efforts strengthen national cohesion and development.

The leaders included Kilifi Deputy Governor Flora Chibule, Malindi MP Amina Mnyazi and her counterparts Owen Baya of Kilifi North and Ali Wario of Garsen, UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar, Principal Secretary nominee for Youth Affairs Fikirini Jacobs and Shella ward MCA Twahir Abdulkarim among others.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Baraka Mweni and Emmanuel Masha