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Meaningful citizen participation in governance is a key ingredient for public reforms that were instituted by the Constitution of Kenya (CoK) 2010. Article 1 (1) of the Constitution vests all sovereign power to the people of Kenya. This power can be expressed through direct participation or indirectly through elected representatives. In addition, various pieces of legislations anchoring devolution highlight the principles of citizen participation. Together, these constitutional and legislative provisions avail various platforms for citizen participation in devolved governance. Citizen participation is one of the national values and is also one of the principles of public service as articulated in the Constitution in Articles 10 (2,a) and Article 232 (1). This study on Public Participation in County Governance and County Information Dissemination Frameworks, case study of Isiolo, Kisumu, Makueni and Turkana counties was undertaken in the project Fostering Social Accountability in Devolved Governance implemented by the Institute of Economic Affairs Kenya. The project was part of a wider project implemented by Uraia Trust titled Rooting Democracy in Kenya through an Informed Citizenry. The study was undertaken between November 2014 and May 2015. In particular, the study reviewed provisions in the Constitution and existing legislation on public participation. The study identified frameworks, including processes and platforms put in place by the aforementioned county governments with the objective of facilitating public participation in governance processes. The study further assessed citizen participation and engagement in governance. Finally, the study identified the available information dissemination frameworks in the target counties. The findings in the study informed recommendations to county governments for strengthening citizen participation in governance.
