Two civil society groups are piloting a new tool that will enable communities to address underlying causes of underdevelopment.
Concern Worldwide and KMET are fronting Community Conversations as a socially transformative approach that galvanizes communities to discuss issues affecting them.
Concern Worldwide project Officer Rosemary Atieno said if the tool is adopted for public participation in formal development processes, then the communities would be able to achieve transformative benefits.
She said for the benefits of devolution to be realized, a new social contract between counties, its citizenry and non-state actors is required.
“The idea is to bring the community together to be able to converse on areas of their concern and find possible solution,” she said.
Atieno noted that without adequate attention to the process and outcomes of citizen participation in the counties, processes like budget making risk being elite driven.
Speaking in Kisumu on Tuesday during a media sensitization forum on the new tool, Atieno said the tool has been widely used across the country to drive some agenda.
Atieno added that communities are empowered to be able to move beyond dialogue to action and participate for the public good.
Kisumu County joins Marsabit and Migori Counties where the tool is under a piloting programme to enhance accountability and local organizational capacity.