Kakamega county has commissioned a new call centre aimed at enhancing citizen engagement and improving access to government information and services.
The facility will offer residents a fast, reliable channel to seek information, raise concerns and give feedback on county operations.
Deputy Governor Ayub Savula, who commissioned the centre on behalf of Governor Fernandes Barasa at the Amanda Hotel, said the initiative will strengthen transparency, accountability and responsiveness in line with the governor’s sixth pillar of good governance.
To support the centre’s operations, the county also signed an MoU with Twaweza East Africa under the Open Government Partnership, which Kakamega joined a year ago.
Residents can now interact with county officers by dialling the toll-free number 0800 724 388 for official information and governance updates.
Present at the launch were Finance and ICT executive Benjamin Andama, Education executive Bernard Amwayi, Twaweza East Africa Kenya representative James Cierra and chief officer for Service delivery Phitalis Masakhwe.
Twaweza released a report capturing residents’ views and experiences on open governance in Kakamega.
The report showed most residents found it difficult to access details of county budgets and plans and many are dissatisfied with how democracy is working in Kenya.
While a majority have engaged in political discussions in the past year, fewer have participated in structured civic processes.
According to the findings, four in 10 residents attended a public participation meeting last year—an increase from 38 per cent the previous year. Although many were allowed to speak, they remain uncertain whether their contributions influence county planning or are merely tokenistic.
The report further notes that most residents have never seen hard copies of county consultation documents and feel it is difficult to meaningfully influence decisions.
Six in 10 residents (64 per cent) believe public participation is mainly used to inform citizens about decisions already made.
Residents said they trust their local MCA and MP more than county and national assemblies as institutions.
They ranked the cost of living, unemployment, corruption, health services and hunger as the biggest challenges facing the county.
Masakhwe welcomed the report, saying it offers valuable feedback.
“The report is a pointer that we need to do more as a county government to satisfy residents. It provides critical feedback on our services,” he said.
