An assessment of the significance of citizens’ participation in enhancing Local governance

Abstract

Citizen participation in local governance is a new paradigm in good governance embraced by countries that have a deliberate interest in improving the lives of their citizens at the grassroots. Indeed, from the late 20th Century, many African countries including Uganda, Kenya and the Sudan started experimenting such new ideas after enacting laws to create an enabling environment. This research study assessed the significance of citizens’ participation in enhancing local governance by taking the case of MunukiPayam (Sub-County). The study particularly aimed at finding out the activities of local government in the MunukiPayam, establish people’s understanding of citizen participation, assess the importance of citizen participation in enhancing local governance and, to find out the challenges to citizen participation in enhancing local governance. This was in the view that the local government institutions in MunukiPayam have disengaged from the citizens. Acase study design and a qualitative approach were used to assess the significance of citizen participation in enhancing local governance. Data was collected in May and June 2014, using structured in-depth interviews and focus group discussions techniques with 58 respondents purposely and simple randomly selected from the study population, analyzed using a narrative and content analysis technique. The study established that citizen participation takes place in three dimensions; at an individual level, as a community through associations or organizations and engagement with government or other stakeholders. It also found out that citizens play a critical role in providing accurate information and setting priorities that address the true problems of the people. The study found out that low levels of education amongst the citizens, unfairness in staffing and volatile security situation and corruption in the country are detrimental to citizen participation. The study concludes that the participation of citizens in their locality affairs enhances local governance as shall be reflected in development, peace and prosperity of the area and the country at large. Finally, the study recommends that government and other institutions like security organs should provide an enabling environment for the operation of CSOs and NGOs. Further, the government and other development agencies should continuously and consistently engage with citizens in setting their development priorities. The study also recommends that the government through support of partners needs to encourage training for community leaders to enhance the quality of their participation in important discussions; corruption must also be sternly fought by strengthening the rule of law and the judicial system. Finally the study strongly recommends that peace be restored in the country by embracing the ongoing peace negotiations efforts under the auspices of IGAD.