Otiende Amollo: How proposed Public Participation Bill could give Kenyans powers to challenge ignored views

Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo explained a proposed Public Participation Bill that could empower Kenyans to challenge decisions where their input is sought but ignored. Speaking on a television station on August 19, 2026, Amollo said the legislation aims to address Kenyan frustration over limited impact of public participation. Under the Bill, institutions must not only collect opinions but also demonstrate how those views were considered.

The Bill would require authorities to prepare a report analyzing submitted views and make it publicly accessible to participants. Amollo emphasized that such a report is necessary to ensure views are not merely collected and forgotten. If citizens feel their opinions were disregarded, they could challenge decisions using this report. This mechanism could provide an alternative to protests, allowing citizens to seek judicial intervention when public participation requirements are not met.

Amollo cited the 2024 Finance Bill as an example where the proposed law could have required Parliament to publish a report on collected views and their influence on legislation. He argued that citizens could then assess whether the final bill reflected public input. If not, citizens could challenge the bill in court, potentially declaring it void for non-compliance with the law.

Thus, the proposed Bill aims to strengthen accountability in public participation by requiring institutions to show how citizens' views were considered and how they influenced decisions. This would address concerns that public participation has often become a procedural exercise rather than a meaningful aspect of policymaking.