Accordingly, in June 2021, the market business community, wrote a petition, matched to the district council demanding for better services. This forced the District Council to have a meeting immediately which made a decision to institute period clean-up campaigns, the district leadership also developed a WhatsApp group which has district leaders, business community and CSO representatives to coordinate the clean-up campaign. This campaign is also done in other parts of the district.

Proactive disclosure and response to information requests had hitherto project intervention been a big challenge. At the beginning of 2021, the project conducted a disclosure and access to information training workshop for public officials and CSOs during which civil servants were trained on disclosure obligations under Access to Information Act as well as the importance of disclosing public information beyond the requirements of the law. On their part, CSOs were trained on their right to information, how to exercise it under the law, and more importantly, how to use accessed information to constructively engage duty bearers.

As a result, Salima District Council started disclosing information on revenue and government tenders on its notice boards. According to Salima District Information Officer Ms Christine Musalika, this has become a major source of information for action by citizens which they actively use to demand for or monitor the implementation of government programmes.

The clean-up campaign is important is several respects. First, it started as result of community access to information on the Council’s revenues and petition for better service delivery. On the one part, it demonstrated the power of citizens’ informed demand and on the other, responsiveness of government when constructively engaged with compelling information.

Knowledge by citizens how to access information held by government agencies and public officials understanding of their obligation to and importance of disclosing information was obtained from training conducted by the project. Secondly, there was improvement in community hygiene which reduced the incidence of disease outbreaks. This brought community ownership of the campaign that has been sustained so far. More importantly, this action built the confidence in the community on how to use access to information to make effective demand for better service delivery in their communities.

In 2021, the Hewlett funded project trained 40 civil servants and public officials in Salima district on citizens’ right of access to information and their obligation to disclose this information under the Access to Information Act. The training also covered the importance of disclosure of public information beyond the requirements of the law.

In addition, the project also trained 24 CSOs and Journalists from the same district on their right to access public information and how to exercise it under the law. To strengthen use of accessed information to monitor the delivery of social services, the project trained and deployed 10 community monitors in the Salima. Further, the project also conducted awareness raising on access to
information and open contracting through radio talk shows.

Following the training, Salima District Council started disclosing more information on revenues received as well as public tenders their notice boards more regularly and consistently. In addition, the District Council prioritized responding to information requests from citizens. On the demand side, there was increased demand for information through information requests and visits to the district to get information on the noticeboards. Citizens’ knowledge of information on government revenues and piling of garbage in the Council triggered protests and petition by the community to priorities garbage collection.

We draw a number of lessons from this experience on both the demand and supply sides. On the demand side, we learn that when citizens have information they are in position to make informed demand for better service delivery. Secondly, we also learn that when citizens have knowledge, they use it to engage on a variety of issues and services that affect them. On the supply side we learn that understanding of law and ability to implement it plays a critical role in facilitating disclosure and responsiveness of public officials.