By John oyuke
The Government has embarked on a process to assess its capacity to manage public resources through its own institutions.
The move that comes as the country lays down the framework for a devolved system of government would have a consultant assess its public financial management reforms (PFM) strategy covering 2006- 2011 and transitory period to June 2012.
The Treasury said it has received funds from development partners to pay for performance evaluation consultancy services.
“The evaluation shall include all the 17 components that implemented the strategy from June 2006 to June 30, 2012,” it said in a request for expression of interest for consultancy services for the review contract.
The objective of the assignment to be conducted in Nairobi between June and August this year is to expected to ascertain the actual financial and physical performance of the programme and recommend areas for improvement in implementing similar PFM Reforms.
The consultant assessment is also to cover compliance by various actors with various instruments agreed upon by the Government and development partners namely the Memorandum of Understanding and the Joint Financing Agreement.
The PFM 2006-2011 programme activities were estimated to cost $ 114.5 million. Resources were mobilised from the government while development partners availed $ 38 million.
The government launched “Strategy for the Revitalization of Public Financial Management System in Kenya” in line with goals of its Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation 2003-2007, in 2006. The reform strategy covered a five years and expired in August last year.
Reforms of the PFM system were meant to ensure equity, transparency, sufficient controls in use of public funds, reporting and oversight.
It targeted areas for reforms like transformation of political priorities into the annual budget allocations, credibility of the budget, quality, timeliness and accuracy of financial reports and procurement.
