Council of Governors (CoG) Chairperson Anne Waiguru has launched a gaming app where youth can interact, learn, and engage with political processes and governance.
On Tuesday, September 19, Waiguru launched the Badilico App, which is a digital innovation that promises to revolutionize public participation in Kenya.
Speaking during the event, Waiguru said County Governments are committed to supporting innovations by young people.
Further, she said the devolved units recognize the potential of young people and the need to help them create opportunities for self-employment.
“We recognize the critical role we must play in supporting and implementing such transformative tools.
We are committed to working alongside young innovators to ensure that their creations find practicality within the County Governments,” Waiguru said.
Additionally, the Kirinyaga Governor said county governments are actively promoting endeavors by youth to harness their innovative and technological skills by guiding and connecting them to the market.
The COG chair noted that the council had played a significant role in guiding the Badilico App innovators into understanding the public participation gap and the opportunity that a digital platform could offer to maximize inclusion as envisioned in the constitution.
Also, she said Badilico App offers the government a path to achieving the transparency, accountability, participation, and inclusiveness that the Constitution envisions.
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“The App has the potential to help Governments to actively engage citizens in planning and policy-making processes, facilitate open communication, ensure access to information, establish platforms for citizen participation, and conduct civic education, among other crucial responsibilities,” she added.
Waiguru on Bridging the gap
Moreover, Waiguru said there exists a gap in inclusion of the public in County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) development and offering real time grass root feedback from the bottom up.
“The Badilico App has the potential bringing us closer to a future where every Kenyan feels connected to the decisions that affect their lives,” the governor said.
She said counties are offering young innovators avenues to exhibit their innovations with an aim of facilitating valuable connections with potential investors and opportunities for expansion.
In addition, Waiguru emphasized it was prudent for the government to assist the youth to channel their creativity, knowledge, and passion into innovations that have the potential to transform their lives and the nation.
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How Badilico App Works
The app facilitates virtual town hall meetings where youth can come close to decision makers including governors.
First Step: The Landing Screen: This is the first wireframe that users pick their interests and save their profile.
Second Step: Users choose and customize their avatar from a wide range of choices which can then be customized to represent the user more.
Third Step: This is one of the meta-verse town halls in the game where users sit down and interact with their representatives directly.
The representatives sit on the podium and address users who are in the hall.
Notifications are also sent to the users online informing them of the keynote address.
Fourth Step: Users can interact with each other and hold politically driven conversations in the lounge areas.
There are many lounge areas to accommodate numbers and friends can invite others to join their discussion.
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Fifth Step: There are several notice boards around the environment.
These notice boards contain pertinent information about what is happening in the game, for example a keynote speech in one of the halls.
Moreover, they also contain information beneficial for the socio-economic status of the youth.
Sixth Step: Users can vote for diverse topics in the voting booth which bolsters Badilico’s ability for real time opinion polls.
Furthermore, the results are displayed on the notice board and users receive notifications once published.
Seventh Step: Once a user is done interacting with the platform, they can either quit or join another session with the middle button.
The COG boss affirmed that the aim of Badilico app is to bridge the gap between the youth and decision makers.
The app believes in youth empowerment, data driven conversations and technology for change.
