An informed citizenry can be proactive in achieving ambitious Big Four agenda

The four key pillars - manufacturing, universal healthcare, affordable housing, and food security.

President Uhuru Kenyatta last year outlined the big four Agenda which the government seeks to achieve by the end of the second term. The four key pillars - manufacturing, universal healthcare, affordable housing, and food security. The government plans to create 1.3 million manufacturing jobs by 2022 and achieve a 100 per cent health coverage for every Kenyan. On housing, the government plans to build 500,000 affordable homes in all major cities by 2022, a plan that it says will create 350,000 jobs and raise the contribution of real estate and raise to 14 per cent the contribution of the construction sector to GDP. To achieve the big four agenda, public participation will be key for the citizens to understand the projects and how they can contribute to the achievement of the four key pillars of the government.

Access to information plays a prominent role in conflict prevention as it is concerned with ensuring an inclusive and participatory approach to governance and service delivery. It thus engenders public participation which, as you are aware, is a prerequisite under the Constitution. Access to information is also one of the fundamental rights in a democracy. It is often considered as an ‘empowerment’ right due to its facilitative nature of other rights. It enables citizens to demand their rights from an informed position thereby making representative democracy meaningful. The implementation of the right of access to information bridges the gap between policy and implementation, and building trust in government by curbing corruption and maladministration that thrive in secrecy. When citizens are empowered with information held by the state, they are able to engage meaningfully in the affairs of that society like the big four agenda. We should, for instance, sensitise and encourage citizens to seek information from relevant bodies. For example, they need information on health, education, farming, weather, national and county budgets, government projects and all other subjects that impact on their socio-economic development. The other stakeholders also need to play their role in enhancing this right through availing information, including by way of proactive disclosure. As a nation, we stand at a very crucial stage of our development, and our aspirations and goals can and will be met if we share knowledge on critical subjects such as the right to information.