MPs Launch Nationwide Public Hearings on Public Participation Bill

By Ahmed Salat Ali 

The National Assembly’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) has launched a nationwide public participation exercise on the proposed Public Participation Bill, 2025, in a move aimed at strengthening citizen involvement in governance and legislative processes.

The proposed law—National Assembly Bill No. 44 of 2025—is co-sponsored by Rarieda MP Hon. Otiende Amollo and Ainabkoi MP Hon. Samuel Chepkonga. It seeks to establish a clear and uniform legal framework to guide how public participation should be conducted across government institutions.

Lawmakers say the Bill is designed to ensure that Kenyans have a structured and meaningful role in shaping policies and legislation that affect their lives, while also standardising public engagement processes across national and county governments.

To facilitate the countrywide consultation exercise, the Committee has deployed three separate teams to various regions to collect views and submissions from wananchi.

The first team, led by Committee Chairperson Hon. George Murugara, includes members Hon. Gladys Boss, Hon. Farah Maalim, Hon. Aden M. Daud, and Hon. Timothy Wanyonyi. The team began its public forums at the Tana Delta Education Centre in Garsen Constituency, Tana River County, before proceeding to the Malindi Municipal Hall in Kilifi County, where residents presented their views on the proposed legislation.

The second cluster, headed by Committee Vice-Chairperson Hon. Mwengi Mutuse, comprises Hon. Suleika Harun, Hon. Timothy Kipchumba, Hon. T.J. Kajwang’, and Hon. Michael Muchira. The group is conducting hearings in the Eastern and Central regions, with initial forums held at Wote Green Park Gardens in Makueni County and Machakos Social Hall in Machakos County.

Meanwhile, the third team—featuring the Bill’s co-sponsor Hon. Otiende Amollo, Nominated MP Hon. Harold Kimuge, and West Mugirango MP Hon. Stephen Mogaka—has begun engagements in the Rift Valley and Nyanza regions. The team held public sessions at the Kenya Red Cross Society Hall in Nakuru before moving to the ACK Hall in Kericho. Additional forums are scheduled at the West Mugirango NG-CDF Hall in Nyamira County and the Kisii Agricultural Training Centre in Kisii County.

The committee noted that the public participation exercise will continue in other parts of the country in the coming days, as legislators seek to gather diverse views from citizens and stakeholders.

Once the consultations are completed, the committee will compile the submissions and use them to refine the Bill before it is tabled in the National Assembly for further consideration.

Lawmakers say the initiative reflects Parliament’s commitment to entrenching transparency, accountability, and meaningful citizen engagement in Kenya’s democratic governance framework.