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Kenya’s devolved system seeks to strengthen service delivery by localizing public participation in policy and legislative processes. However, this objective assumes the existence of high levels of civic competence and citizens’ ability to correctly attribute responsibility to different tiers of government. This raises an important question: What do Kenyans know about devolution and its implications for access to government services, public participation, inter-governmental division of labour, and subnational politicians’ performance?

The main goal of this research was to determine what Kenyan university students know about climate change in Kenya and the personal mitigation actions they were prepared to take. Additionally, the study was to establish what influences their knowledge about climate change, and about the knowledge on environmental benefits had on the environmental-friendly behaviours they were willing to adopt. The research shows that the more students know about climate change, the more actions they also do at present.

Presently, there is a global push to extend health insurance to informal workers in developing countries. In Kenya, for instance, the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) has taken measures to provide health insurance coverage to informal sector workers through a voluntary contributory scheme. However, the uptake and retention of these workers in the scheme is low. This raises the question: how are institutional mechanisms and processes affecting participation of informal workers in the scheme?

Central to its commitment to achieving 'universal health coverage' for all its citizens, the Kenya government continues to promote the expansion of national health insurance, NHIF, to include the informal sector, free maternal healthcare, and health insurance subsidies for the vulnerable populations. Additionally, the government promises a more equitable and inclusive health system and financial protection, a move that invites citizens to feel entitled to healthcare access and welfare.

Researcher Julie Zollmann will be the speaker at this year's Public Annual lecture on inclusive finance, co-organised by FSD Kenya and the University of Nairobi, Institute for Development Studies