Nairobi, 21st March 2025
In efforts to improve the County’s transparency, accountability, and Inclusivity in governance, The County Executive Committee Member for Inclusivity, Public participation and Customer Service Ms. Rosemary Kariuki on behalf of H.E Governor Sakaja launched the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Action Plan for Nairobi County.
The four key priority areas that were identified for inclusion in the action plan for the period of 2024-2027 are; public participation, civic engagement & civic education, Open contracting, Open data for civic education and Building open government resilience.
The action plan will introduce practical measures to enhance transparency in government processes. This initiative is crucial for fostering a more accessible, responsive, and accountable county government, strengthening the relationship between citizens and their government, and providing long-term benefits to the residents.
While highlighting the Governors Commitment to Inclusivity the CECM said that the County is dedicated to a plan of action as ambitious as it is intent on
deepening the culture of openness and service in the county.” By improving service delivery, access to information, civic engagement and standards of professional integrity in government, we can demonstrate that devolution truly works, “she said.
“So, it was a real pleasure to re-engage with the Open Government Partnership in 2024. We set out, through a multistakeholder approach, to create, with private sector and civil society, an action plan that would advance the principles of open government and ensure we redeemed our promise to make Nairobi work. Those principles aren’t alien to us they were already part of our DNA as a country, enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya, and affirmed in our manifesto.” she further stated.
The OGP Local Initiative facilitated commitments from state and non-state actors to deepen civic engagement by implementing an addressing system and platform for citizen engagement, promoting public accountability through open contracting, encouraging public participation, and building resilience in open government practices.
Ms. Zipporah Mwangi Chief Officer in charge of Public participation, Citizen Engagement and Customer service as she Quoted an Indian author and philanthropist, Rohini Nilekani said, “As citizens, we have to co-create good governance, we cannot outsource it and hope to be passively happy consumers. Like everything worth its while, good governance must be earned.
We cannot be mere consumers of good governance we must be participants; we must be co-creators.” She went on to reaffirm the County’s unwavering commitment to fostering transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement stating that the plan focuses on strengthening open governance through multi-stakeholder collaboration and includes regulating emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to prevent disinformation and protect democracy.
Said Zipporah, “Through this initiative, the County reaffirms the fundamental principle that government is most effective when it is open, participatory, and responsive to the needs of all citizens.”
Mr. Godfrey Ochele, Deputy Director Public participation and Citizen engagement said, “Open government is not just about providing information; it is about ensuring that every citizen, regardless of their background, socioeconomic status, gender, or ability, has an equal voice in decision-making processes.”
Ms. Phoebe Mungai the Country Director for Oslo Centre, a Norwegian Kenya based organization commended Nairobi County under the leadership of Governor Sakaja for rejoining the initiative despite the setbacks paused by COVID 19. “I want to appreciate the collaborative efforts between the county government and civil societies and stress on the importance of pooling resources and using the newly developed action plan as a tool for fundraising and implementation. Let’s all embrace the plan, align it with existing county efforts, and use it as a roadmap to enhance transparency and governance.” She said.
The event was attended by: Chief Officers: Ms. Maryam Dahir (Gender and Inclusivity), Mr. Tiras Njoroge (ICT Infrastructure) Mr. John Lintari (Economic Planning) Mr. Bernard Kiala (Boroughs) Mr. Sunday Oyolo (Digital Economy). Directors, Deputy Directors, Assistant Directors and Sub-County Administrators. Among the stakeholders present were Youth Agenda, Oslo Centre, Civic Voices, Local Development Research Institute, Mzalendo Trust, Transparency International Kenya, United Disabled persons Kenya among others.
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