The government, post the political-related violence, has a lot of work to do renovating the buildings, roads and related infrastructure, among other places that have been destroyed over the past month. This includes part of the Parliament Buildings, where vandalism took place, as well as a section torched by the protesting youth.
As the concerned parties think about renovating the Parliament p, they should consider ways to ensure the building gets upgraded, without spending too much, but at the same time a look that could enhance public engagement.
Over the years, the Parliament of Kenya has opened the doors to both chambers to the public, including the press. Certain committee hearings also attract the public, as part of Parliament’s public engagement efforts. Researchers as well can go to Parliament for related research ideas and activities. There is a due process, to be followed, and this is allowed. Schoolchildren also visit Parliament to learn about the work of the legislature and take those timeless photos. These are the well-known, among other open activities that Parliament can allow within the confines of the buildings.
However, despite these efforts, the public engagement space in the “August” Parliament remains limited, and slow even with modern times. The outward and inward look of our Parliament is still stuck in the old times, yet this can change. Modern times dictate that digital presence is incorporated into the entry and other public spaces that would be felt by the public, as well as incorporating history, arts and culture into this taxpayer-funded space.
Concerned parties renovating Parliament can consider an experience-oriented Parliament. Creating an experience-oriented Parliament involves designing a legislative body that prioritises the experiences and perspectives of its members, as well as the constituents they represent - the public. This can be achieved through a combination of structural and cultural changes.
It would be nice to walk through a gate with minimal physical security, but maximum digital security. Once you enter either space in the bicameral House, there should be a gallery at the entry giving a brief history of the space, while having cosy waiting areas for the public. In these open spaces, there should be experts who are employed in various Parliamentary or democracy support and promotion work to take the public through, and these employees should be open to questions. There can also be a designated room for a digital experience of the same kind of parliamentary museum highlighting their work, previous and current members and their work, bills being discussed, if there is none already. In other words, digitising whatever is in their library.
Public engagement tools and spaces can also be incorporated, where bills currently under discussion are highlighted in the digital, beautiful spaces, and where at the click of a button, the people currently visiting can quickly fill in a google form with their opinion. This, plus other great structural, digital and cultural ideas can serve as among the good mechanisms for public participation, no matter how small or big its impact would be to the public, once this political tension has gone down.
Democracy support researcher and scholar based in Sweden, [email protected]