Analysing public participation in Kenya’s devolved units: A study of participatory planning in the formulation of County Integrated Development Plans

Abstract

The main aim of this study is to analyse public participation in the formulation, monitoring and implementation of Kenya’s first County Integrated Development Plans under a devolved system of governance. Vision 2030, Kenya’s overarching development blueprint to transform Kenya into a middle-income country and provide a high quality of life for its citizens by the year 2030, identifies the establishment of 6 metropolitan regions across the country, as a strategy to spread development and achieve regional balance. These regions are spread across the administrative boundaries of 9 Counties. This study uses a qualitative, fixed, a priori, generic-purposive sampling approach and a generic qualitative data analysis of secondary data to analyse public participation in these 9 Counties. The experiences of the County governments in the development of their CIDPs have shown great variety in their understandings of what constitutes citizen engagement, how it should be conducted and its implications on the planning process.