The civil society in Siaya has accused the county government of manipulating the selection of projects instead of leaving the public to identify the same during public participation.
Led by the executive director of the Community Initiative Action Group, Chris Owala, the civil society said that the public participation process in Siaya has been infiltrated by contractors and politicians’ cronies who force the choice of projects on residents during meetings.
Addressing the press in Siaya town on Friday, Owala called on the county government to give the public a chance to identify their needs without undue influence.
He said it was regrettable that interested parties who include contractors were moving round the wards and are accorded time to influence sessions on how certain projects must be prioritised and how they will be undertaken.
“This ends up having an impact on the projects as the public end up not embracing them” he said.
Owala said unless the county government adhered to the tenets of public participation, it risked losing out on funding from major donors such as the World Bank that takes the matter seriously.
Speaking during the occasion, Transparency International’s programme coordinator, Titus Ogalo called on the Siaya county government to adhere to the law governing public participation so as to enhance better engagement with various stakeholders.
By Philip Onyango
