Elgeyo Marakwet County Open Government Partnership Local Action Plan II 2018 – 2020

MESSAGE FROM THE COUNTY GOVERNOR

As the Governor for Elgeyo Marakwet County, I am pleased to present our county’s Second Open Government Partnership Action Plan for the period 20182020. In this Action Plan, my government acknowledges our citizens’ desire for more openness on how public funds are sourced, spent, disclosed and impacts on their livelihoods; how public services are delivered; the responsibilities and mandates of various levels and arms of government as well as the need for stronger government and citizens alliances.
My experience serving the people of Elgeyo Marakwet County since the county’s inception in 2013 indicates that citizens still yearn for a more open government. I believe that a desirable government is one that is built on democratic principles where citizens have trust in their government and are able to meaningfully align and shape government decisions to meet their needs. By implementing this Action Plan, my government aims at further institutionalizing the Open Government principles and values in all its systems and processes towards creating open government practices and safeguards against regressive tendencies and political transitions. Tangible and lasting benefits of government spending and management of decision making instruments is largely dependent on the extent to which open government is pronounced, practiced and sustained through appropriate actions. In this regard therefore, this Action Plan seeks to enhance processes and practices which are expected to transform government actions into beneficial public goods and services.
This Plan was developed through a collaborative approach which involved Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), citizens, government officials and other non-state development actors. The approach has resulted in a more cohesive synergy whose importance will be crucial at the implementation stage of the Plan. I am aware that even as ambitious as our Action Plan is, there will be challenges of which my administration together with our partners will strive to proactively and innovatively address with synergy. On this, I believe we have started on the right footing given that our government received a high rating regarding our collaborative practices with all stakeholders in our various decision-making processes. This high rating on our collaborative approaches was cited in the assessment report by the Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) for our county government’s LAP I Action Plan.
Finally, I take this opportunity to thank the Stakeholder Coordinating Mechanism (SCM), our county’s multi-stakeholder Forum, for providing leadership and guidance throughout the co-creation process, the Center for Innovations in Open Governance (CIOG) for the unlimited enthusiasm displayed throughout the Action Plan co-creation, county government officials led by the Office of the OGP Point of Contact (PoC) and importantly the citizens and Civil Society members, all of whom contributed immensely towards the success of this LAP II Action Plan development. As the Governor and the political leader of our county, I offer my full support towards the implementation of the commitments contained in this Action Plan as we all strive to achieve the open government agenda both locally and at the global stage.
H.E. Eng. Alex Tolgos Governor, Elgeyo Marakwet County September, 2018