TITLE:
Village Elders’ Participation in Public Governance in Kenya: A Phenomenological Study
AUTHORS:
Jacqueline N. Mutua, Timothy Mwangi Kiruhi
KEYWORDS:
Volunteerism, Village Elders, Public Governance, Social Capital, Public Participation, Kenya
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Leadership,
Vol.10 No.2,
June
10,
2021
ABSTRACT: Village elders play an instrumental role in public governance in Kenya.
Being at the grassroots level, they are the leaders closest to the people in
terms of representing the interests of the government. Since they work as
volunteer public servants, a focus on village elders in Kenya provides an
interesting perspective to public governance. Globally, governments have
embraced citizens’ involvement in the decision-making process to increase the
efficacy of regulation and improvement of the provision of public goods and
services. Furthermore, volunteering is one of the ways that community members contribute to good governance,
participate in government projects and reduce the public-government gap. Using
a social capital theoretical framework, this phenomenological study sought to
understand village elders’ role in public governance and influence on community
members’ participation in government agenda. Thirty respondents including ten village elders, seven chiefs, and
thirteen community members were purposively chosen to participate in the study.
Collected data was analyzed using ATLAS.ti qualitative data analysis
software. The study findings revealed that village elders made an attributable contribution to the provision of
public goods and services as well as mobilization of community members for
public participation.