Child influence in local governments

This policy brief is based on the key lessons derived from a case study investigating how local governments can create conditions for child influence in decision making processes.

The study was conducted by Christopher Owambla and Cornel Ogutu in 2019 who looked at municipal partnerships i three countries: Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. It is hoped that the lessons that emerged can contribute to partnerships and project activities within the theme of child inclusion in local governments.

The study recommends local governments taking steps to promote child participation and shift from tokenism to genuine child participation. Municipalities should also develop specific policy and legal frameworks to strengthen child participation. Child-led forums and platforms for child participation are also proposed to ensure children are in the forefront in decision making processes.