Transparency International Kenya is urging county assemblies in the country to enact both the Access to information and Citizen participation’s Laws.
Speaking in Kisumu on Wednesday, the organisation Programme coordinator Richard Maina said they want to promote legislation to foster free accountability.
Maina added that they heard views from the public concerning the two proposed bills, which they drafted and presented to various county assemblies to be passed into laws.
According to Maina, access to information and citizen participation laws is important because the principle of governance ensures that citizens must access information and participate before decisions are made.
“To monitor how the budgets are being implemented, citizen must have access to information on the budget and comments on them,” said Maina.
He added that citizens within various counties need to know whatever is happening at their counties in order to participate.
The officer said they want to have a large pool of counties that have enacted Transparency International laws in their organisations, adding that they are concerned to support the initiative to help curb corruption, which in most cases is done in privacy.
“Citizens should be allowed to access information to avoid cases of hearsay that might turn into other things,” said Maina.
He noted that through the two Laws, instances of corruption will be reduced, improve devolution and ensure that citizens get the required service delivery from their counties.
Maina said they have so far worked with others regions in the North Rift, Western, Nyanza, and Coastal Region among others.