Kenya could soon have an office responsible for overseeing the way public participation exercise is undertaken in the country.
Among proposals contained in the new Bill, being spearheaded by the Justice, Human Rights and Constitutional Affairs Department is the establishment of an office of the Registrar of Public Participation, which shall be created by the Public Service Commission (PSC).
According to the proposal, the occupant of the office shall undergo a competitive recruitment process before being appointed by the Cabinet Secretary, under whose Ministry the office shall be domiciled.
The Registrar shall be responsible for ensuring the implementation of all functions outlined in the Act, or any other written law touching on public participation exercise in the country. "The Registrar (of Public Participation) shall receive and approve public participation plans of responsible authorities, maintain a register of public participation plans and public participation reports and develop and implement a public participation monitoring, evaluation, assessment and learning framework," proposes Part II clause 12 (a,b,c) of the Bill. "…. (the Registrar) shall submit to the Cabinet Secretary reports on the statutes of public participation, maintain a website of public participation reports, recommend responsible measures to be taken to ensure compliance with this Act and conduct capacity building for responsible authorities," continues the Bill.
