Abstract:

There are many factors that influence public participation; one of them is demographic factors. This study established how demographic characteristics of the public influence their participation in development activities in the devolved system of governance in Kenya. The chi square test for independence, from the value at ?(12)=40.9,p =0.000; established that there was significant association between demographic characteristics and public participation activities. It was also established that demographic factors such as age, gender and level of education influence public participation to a large extent. It was found that; male tend to participate more than female; youth tend to participate more than elderly people; and the educated people tend to make more meaningful and quality contribution. Therefore there is need to have a proper planning so as to optimise the participation of all stakeholders by considering their gender, age and level of education.