The County Government of Homa Bay has taken major steps to improve public complaint handling by building the capacity of officers responsible for setting up a grievance redress mechanism.
The county executive committee member for governance, administration, communication and devolution, Hon. Grace Mercy Osewe opened a training forum for complaints officers to teach best practices for efficiently receiving and responding to public feedback. The one-day workshop was organized in partnership with Uraia Trust and the Integrated Development Forum (IDF).
"This training will provide information on how our devolved units can set up and improve complaint handling to establish robust mechanisms for proactive disclosure of information to the public," Hon. Osewe was speaking when she opened the program at the county headquarters, on Tuesday.
Osewe urged residents to utilize the county's online and in-person grievance reporting channels to voice concerns and receive timely responses.
The county has put up plans to decentralize its grievance redress framework down to the ward level. The county executive member said formalizing public complaint processes aims to enhance accountability, transparency and trust between residents and the local government.
Isaac Ongiri, the county's chief officer for governance, administration and devolution, said the grievance redress system allows citizens to submit complaints directly about project implementation, service delivery, or other government operations.
"The County Government has an elaborate Grievance Redress Plan that aims to give voice to the marginalized and build trust between the County Government and its residents," Ongiri said.
Japheth Ojijo, the Integrated Development Facility programs coordinator praised the county government's vision to structure complaint handling at all levels.
"A good county Grievance Redress Mechanism builds trust between the government and its citizens by enhancing accountability and transparency besides generating awareness among citizens thereby improving service delivery in the long run," Ojijo said.
The training forum taught complaints officers best practices to efficiently receive and respond to public feedback.
“We are soon institutionalizing policies and frameworks to ensure we have an effective and open governance system,” Ongiri remarked.
