Influence of Public Participation in County Annual Development Plan Formulation in Nyandarua County, Kenya

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Date
2023
Authors
Kiongo, Peter Mungai
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
Public participation plays an important role in the success of devolved governments in Kenya. However, studies have indicated a significant loss of public trust in devolved governments especially at the county level. The way county government carries out their operations without substantial public involvement and engagement has been the major factor resulting to the loss of public trust. These leads to a negative impact on the development and growth of counties in Kenya. The survey therefore aimed to explore the influence of public participation in county annual development plan formulation in Nyandarua county with the objectives being to determine the participants’ selection criteria during the formulation of the County annual development plan, to determine the methods of participants engagement in formulating the annual development plan in Nyandarua County, and to establish participants feedback mechanisms in county annual development plan formulation in Nyandarua County. The study was informed by two theories that are vital in unwrapping the puzzle surrounding the public involvement and engagement and are the Theory of Empowerment and the Cognitive Engagement Theory. From a reachable population of 334,932 citizens in the county, a sample size of 384 participants were chosen through a snowball sampling technique. A survey research design was adopted where questionnaires and structured and unstructured interviews were utilized to gather information from the selected participants. Data analysis was done using the SPSS software (version 26.0). The diagnostic tests were done. The test was performed to establish existence of: normal distribution, multicollinearity and linearity. The findings offered statistical proof that there is a strong correlation between public involvement and the creation of annual development plans. Particularly, it was discovered that the three drivers participants' selection criteria, participant engagement strategies, and participant feedback mechanisms were substantial and had a favorable impact on Nyandarua County's annual development plan creation. The study makes several recommendations, including that the Annual Development Plan program be tailored to account for the dynamic nature of citizens' demographic characteristics and that the county government improve public relations, reporting, and policy communication, as these were found to be positively related to public participation levels in the annual development plan. The study also urges that strong measures be implemented to promote public awareness in integrated development planning.
Description
A Research Project Submitted to the School of Law, Arts and Social Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Award of Masters Degree in Public Policy and Administration at Kenyatta University, April 2023.
Keywords
Public Participation, County Annual Development, Plan Formulation, Nyandarua County, Kenya
Citation