Public meetings organised by counties to seek input into the budget process have been poorly attended

Governor Kinuthia Mbugua. (Photo:Standard/File)

By KARANJA NJOROGE

Nairobi, Kenya: As the country grapples with the wage bill crisis, concerns are mounting over low public participation in the budget process.

Public meetings organised by counties to seek input into the budget process have been poorly attended, with most residents showing little or no interest.

The Constitution provides for greater citizen input into the budget process at the national and county level from formulation to implementation.

Analysts say public participation could in future help cut back on funds wastage through enhanced monitoring.

The Public Finance Management Act provides opportunities for public participation and avenues on how residents can influence the overall direction the budget take before it is implemented.

The Act has created avenues for citizens to participate at both the national and the county level.

In Nakuru, Members of the County Assembly who are expected to play a key role in the process say they are not aware of county budget public forums organised in their wards. “I was shocked this morning to learn that there was a budget forum in my ward, yet I had not been informed,” Njoro Ward MCA Hezekiah Kariuki told the County Assembly, recently.

The MCA cautioned that failure to fully involve residents and local leaders could lead to prioritisation of the wrong projects.

According to Dr Jason Lakin, a Senior Programme Officer and Researcher with the International Budget Partnership (IBP), the public has the right to participate throughout the budget process, which runs from the formulation, implementation to evaluation of implementation.

Setting priorities

“Public participation is about aligning the needs and demands of the public more closely with the choices of Government officials. This suggests that public participation must occur at the formulation and approval stages when priorities are being set,” he said.

For Kenyans who want to make an input into the budget process from the beginning, the first important date is February 15, when the Government must release the Budget Policy Statement to Parliament.

The county budget proposal must be tabled in the County Assembly on April 30 just like the national budget proposal.

“This means that the County Assembly also has a two-month period until the end of the fiscal year on June 30 to debate and amend the county budget proposal which allows citizen to participate,” Jason said. Addressing a recent media workshop on County Planning and Budgeting, Jason said the Public Financial Management law sets out the fiscal responsibility principles to ensure prudency and transparency in the management of public resources. “It states that over the medium term a minimum of 30 per cent of the national budget shall be allocated to development expenditure,” he said.

Lack of public participation in county finances became evident early this year when the enactment of the Finance Bill sparked riots in several counties across the country.

As means of raising revenue most of counties had introduced new taxes and levies without consulting the affected stakeholders.

Nakuru County Government headed by Governor Kinuthia Mbugua was forced to review some of the contentious provisions following protests from furious traders.

Traders in Kiambu, Machakos and Kakamega also took to the streets claiming they were not involved in drafting of the Bill as required by law.

There were dramatic scenes in October last year as various County Assemblies rushed to pass the Finance bill and approve the County Integrated Development Plan.

Due to limited time most of the counties did not hold public forums to seek input from the residents.

The law requires the budget be based on the County Integrated Development Plan, which means the priorities in the plan should be the same as the priorities in the budget. The Finance Bill, when passed, authorises the county government to collect revenue. In bid to meet crucial budget timelines, some of the assemblies were summoned for special sessions to pass the crucial Bill in October last year.

The Fourth Schedule of the Constitution assigns to counties the role of ensuring community participation in governance. The County Government Act requires the counties to encourage public participation through meetings where plans and budgets can be discussed.

However most of the counties have not constituted the County Budget and Economic Forum (CBEF), which is supposed to provide means for consultation by the county government. Jason said the CEBF is the most appropriate forum for public engagement throughout the budget cycle.