SUBMISSION OF MEMORANDUM ON THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BILL, 2019

Natural Justice submits a memorandum on the Public Participation Bill, 2019, arguing that the Bill's current framework is too narrow. The organization proposes amendments to guarantee that information provided to the public is not only timely but also "accurate, complete, relevant", and accessible. Key recommendations include the explicit inclusion of "minorities and marginalised groups" to comply with Article 56 of the Constitution of Kenya, the establishment of mandatory reasonable timelines for public involvement and decision communication, and the requirement that civic education must precede public participation to empower citizens.

• Natural Justice argues that timely access to information is insufficient on its own; the Bill should be amended to require that information disseminated by state organs be "accurate, complete, relevant" and provided in formats that are easy for all citizens to use and understand.
• To comply with Article 56 of the Constitution of Kenya, the Bill must explicitly include "minorities and marginalised groups" alongside women, youth, and persons with disabilities to prevent their historical exclusion from decision-making and development processes.
• The memorandum emphasizes the necessity of defining reasonable timelines for public involvement and the communication of decisions. It suggests that decisions, including a summary of input and reasons for the outcome, should be communicated to the public within 30 days.
• The organization proposes that the term "enhance" be replaced with "facilitate effective" regarding civic education, arguing that civic education must be mandatory and must always precede the public participation process to create an empowered citizenry.

APA

Natural Justice (2019). SUBMISSION OF MEMORANDUM ON THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BILL, 2019. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/NJ_Public-Participation-Bill_Submissions.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. SUBMISSION OF MEMORANDUM ON THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BILL, 2019. 2019. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/NJ_Public-Participation-Bill_Submissions.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=SUBMISSION OF MEMORANDUM ON THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BILL, 2019 |date=19 November 2019 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/NJ_Public-Participation-Bill_Submissions.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljustice2019submission, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{SUBMISSION OF MEMORANDUM ON THE PUBLIC PARTICIPATION BILL, 2019}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/NJ_Public-Participation-Bill_Submissions.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }