Kakamega: The County Government of Kakamega is finalizing plans to launch a call center that will enable residents to seek information and receive real-time feedback. The administration has identified a toll-free number that will be used once the call center is operational.
According to Kenya News Agency, the county government is also partnering with Childline Kenya, an organization that operates the toll-free number 116, which allows children to report abuse and access support services. The Kakamega County Director of Public Participation and Civic Education, Juma Omwendo, noted that the initiatives are part of the county government’s commitment to enhance transparency and service delivery.
In addition to the call center, the county government is setting up a public participation portal to ensure that the majority of residents can engage during public participation forums. The portal is being designed to be disability-friendly and easily accessible for use by anyone. During public participation forums, residents will use it to make contributions, ask questions, seek clarifications, and submit memorandums and petitions.
Omwendo was speaking during a workshop on the dissemination of the County’s public participation policy 2025 and the Open Government Partnership (OGP) commitment in Kakamega, an event organized by Uraia Trust. The director noted that the county government joined OGP with a commitment to ensure citizen involvement in policymaking, enhance budget openness, implement strategies to address climate change, access information, and enhance transparency within the county assembly operations.
The Network for Research and Governance (NRG) Director, Paul Odongo, said that Kakamega County is setting a good example in governance in the Lake Region Economic Bloc by coming up with the public participation policy, call center, open budget, and open assembly. He emphasized that open governance leads to transparency and accountability, resulting in improved service delivery.
Odongo further noted that OGP will streamline the working relationship between the County Government, Civil Society Organizations, and citizens by enhancing advocacy, embracing dialogue, and allowing consensus in governance and decision-making. This initiative, he added, presents an opportunity for CSOs to avoid clashes with the county government.
Edward Wambani, the chairperson of Kakamega Civil Society Network, expressed readiness to support the county government of Kakamega in providing services to the citizenry. He hopes that with these initiatives, there will be an improvement in feedback mechanisms, particularly regarding memos and petitions submitted to the executive. The introduction of the digital platform and call center is anticipated to provide timely feedback.