A public participation forum was spearheaded on Wednesday by officials of the national treasury to allow residents of Bungoma County to express their opinion in the making of the medium-term budget for the 2024-2025 and 2026-27 financial years. The exercise was led by the Principal Secretary for the State Department for Micro, Medium, and Small Enterprises, Susan Mang’eni. The PS said the exercise was taking place across the country, stressing that major decisions, especially those touching on the management of financial resources, must incorporate the input of the public and stakeholders. The forum was held at Kibabii University Hall within Bungoma town, and residents were given the opportunity to present their memorandum as regards the county’s Fiscal Strategy Paper for consideration during the national budget-making process. She said the process will help the government identify key priorities in terms of what should come first in implementing the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda. Members of the public and stakeholders gave their suggestions on areas of focus for the county for purposes of resource allocation during the national government budgetary process. The public decried weak coordination of public participation, which has resulted in duplication and overlapping of roles on the one hand and unnecessary conflict and competition for resources on the other. The PS said the Public Finance Management Act, 2012, provides for the involvement of the public in the budget-making process. She said that the process should also be cognizant of and aligned to President William Ruto’s Bottom-up Development Agenda, hence the need to get it right from the bottom. The exercise is expected to be completed in all counties by the end of the week before moving on to the next step.

Source: Kenya News Agency