During our forums, one question comes up again and again: 'We have seen representatives before. What will be different?'
My answer is the Mama's Office — a ward-based presence of the Nairobi County Woman Representative that is open, transparent, accountable and responsive.
Here is how it will actually work. Each of Nairobi's 85 wards will have a designated contact office day every month, hosted in existing public facilities — no new palaces, no new budgets for rent. Residents will be able to walk in, lodge their concerns, and track the response.
Every concern will be logged. Every response will be tracked. And every quarter, the office will publish a public report showing what was raised, what was done, and what is still pending.
The vote should not be the end of the relationship between the representative and the people. It should be the beginning.
