Counties trained on project oversight committees
Irene Galgalo -PCO
The Government has trained county trainers on Project Management Committees (PMCs) to entrench public participation and strengthen accountability in county development projects,
PMCs play a vital role in the county project implementation chain by ensuring that local development reflects community priorities and is inclusive, accountable and community-driven development within Kenya’s devolved system of governance.
While officially opening the workshop, the State Department for Devolution’s Director for Capacity Building and Technical Assistance, Kennedy Nyambati, underscored the strategic importance of PMCs, describing them as the face of public participation at the ground level that ensures development projects reflect genuine community priorities.
He emphasized that the workshop’s primary objective was to build a network of master trainers equipped to cascade knowledge and skills to the grassroots, ensuring counties can institutionalize PMCs as a permanent fixture in local governance.
“This training is not simply about learning the provisions of a document. It is about transforming how we engage communities, manage public resources and sustain development outcomes,” he said.
The PMC guidelines draw their legal foundation from the Constitution of Kenya (2010) and the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Regulations (2020) and are enriched by the practical experiences of counties that have successfully implemented community oversight structures like Homa Bay and Makueni.
The State Department for Devolution, with support from the World Bank through the Second Kenya Devolution Support Program (KDSP II), organized the workshop in collaboration with the Council of Governors and participating county governments.
The World Bank’s funding support was recognized as a key enabler in building strong county institutions that prioritize citizen oversight and sustainable development.
The Training of Trainers Workshop was held in Homa Bay County with another one scheduled for Makueni County. The two counties are widely recognized as trailblazers in devolution and citizen engagement.