Machakos: Machakos residents have praised the draft Policy on National Government Village Administration as a transformative initiative for community development and coordination at the village level.
According to Kenya News Agency, the public participation forum that included village elders, youths, civil society, and opinion leaders from the Lower Eastern region of Machakos, Makueni, and Kitui was held at the Machakos University, where residents converged to give diverse opinions on the draft policy.
The County Commissioner Josephine Ouko hosted the forum, aimed at engaging village elders in discussions to onboard them into the National Governance Administrative infrastructure. Ouko added that the facilitation, recognition, and inclusion of village elders is set to improve relations and coordination between the national government and communities at grassroots level.
The policy aims to establish clear guidelines, structures, and processes for governance in village operations, ensuring they are run according to the government agenda and facilitating village elders. One of the participants and youth leader, Mohamed Abdul from Machakos, hailed the gazettement and mapping of villages as proposed in the draft policy, which will help in establishing and developing communities.
Mohamed reiterated the importance of understanding clear roles and responsibilities of village elders, where the policy intends for them to work under Assistant chiefs and participate in the resolution of disputes within communities, thus encouraging decentralized decision making.
Nzomo Mutua from Kitui commended the efforts of the government in facilitating village elders by providing a framework for their facilitation, which will empower village elders to manage community affairs and sensitize villagers on government policies and programmes. Others present included Makueni County Commissioner Dancun Darusi and his Kitui counterpart Kipchumba Rutto, together with their Deputies and Assistant County commissioners.