Finch, Chistopher2015-04-012015-04-012015-02https://hdl.handle.net/10986/21665Kenya's new Constitution mandates a new era of public participation in government, particularly within the devolved government structure. The new devolved structures can benefit from reviewing the country's prior experience with participation in decentralized funds. The Kenyan government and citizens gained extensive experience in local participatory development through decentralized programs and funds, in particular the local authority transfer fund (LATF) and the constituency development fund (CDF). This paper focuses on the two development funds because participatory initiatives both by the government and the civil society were centered on them. This paper reviews Kenya's past experiences on public participation in local service delivery to highlight practical lessons that county governments can draw from as they design participation mechanisms.en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOcitizen involvementpublic officialsgovernment departmentparticipatory approachespolitical manipulationregulatory frameworklocal authoritiesparticipantsconsultationcivil servantsperformance monitoringpoverty levelsvillagepolicy frameworklawsgovernmentparliamentary committeelocal governmentsinformationpublic servicesdecision makerspreparationcivil society actorsbudget transparencyincentivesgovernment capacitycapacity buildingstakeholder analysisrecord keepingparliamentsocial accountability initiativesinformation gatheringdelivery to citizensbudget formulationbeneficiariesoversightmobilizationcivil society organizationscitizen monitoringcollaborationcommunity memberseducated citizensparticipatory developmentauditor generalparticipatory processesfeasibilityengaging citizenscitizen participationcivil societyparticipatory planningmplocal governmentcivil society organizationlegislationcivic engagementaccesscivil society groupsrepresentativesservice deliverylegal frameworkgrantsaccess to informationparticipation mechanismsgrantelectionsaccountabilitytransparencyparticipationservice delivery systemsstakeholdersconsultationsaccessibilitysocial accountabilitycommunication between citizensconstituencyinterest groupsdecision makingparticipatory processgovernment reformcivil society monitoringgovernmental organizationgovernment bodiesconstituenciesparticipatory initiativescitizen engagementhuman rights commissionhuman rightsconstituentconsensusproject implementationparticipatory monitoringsocial auditeffective participationsocial auditscollaborative researchpublic participationmultiple channelspartnerscivil society representativeslocal participationlocal leadersstakeholderlawcitizen inputparticipatory mechanismsdecision making processpublic accessoutreachdevelopment projectstechnologiesgovernmentselectioncommunity radioauditingservice providerspublic goodsWorking Paper10.1596/21665