30/09/2026
📢 What does the Public Participation Bill, 2025 propose?
The Public Participation Bill, 2025 (National Assembly Bill No. 44 of 2025) is currently before the Senate. The Bill seeks to establish a framework for public participation, including guiding principles, responsibilities of public institutions and general requirements for conducting public participation.
But what would this framework look like in practice?
The Bill sets out provisions on access to information, consideration of public views, parliamentary participation and digital engagement, while providing a legal remedy where participation requirements are wilfully violated.
During the National Assembly’s consideration of the Bill, several proposals emerged around transparency, disability inclusion, access to simplified documents and sanctions for non-compliance. These proposals were not retained in the version approved by the National Assembly and forwarded to the Senate.
So, what changed along the way — and what questions remain?
One key issue is the gap between conducting public participation and demonstrating how citizens’ views influence the final decision.
Swipe through to explore what the Bill proposes, the amendments that were not retained, and some of the key issues raised around feedback, accessibility, notice periods, digital participation and enforcement. 👉🏽
