2018年-世界发展银行全球_Inclusive_and_Effective_Citizen_Engagement___Participatory_Budgeting_-_Makueni_and_West_Pokot_Counties_60页_1mb

Summary of Participatory Budgeting in Makueni and West Pokot Counties

Core Content

Participatory Budgeting (PB) is a process that directly involves local citizens in decision-making about public budget priorities and spending. It aims to enhance inclusiveness, effectiveness, and accountability in the budgeting cycle. This report outlines the implementation of PB in Makueni and West Pokot Counties, highlighting the process, outcomes, and challenges faced during the initiative.

Main Objectives

The Kenya Participatory Budgeting Initiative (KPBI), supported by the World Bank's Kenya Accountable Devolution Program, seeks to:

• Demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of PB in the Kenyan context at the county level
• Provide a method for counties to meet constitutional requirements on public participation in budgeting
• Strengthen the county governance system through transparency, participation, and accountability
• Empower traditionally excluded groups to meaningfully engage in county budgeting processes
• Increase county responsiveness to citizens' needs

Key Elements of the PB Process

The PB process is structured around a 10-step framework that includes:

1. General Strategy – Aligning with legal provisions and refining existing processes to ensure inclusiveness and citizen involvement in identifying and validating projects at both sub-county and county levels.
2. Organizational Model – Establishing a model that includes a mission statement, such as "Our County, Our Future," and utilizing a joint process between the County Treasury and the Department of Devolution and Public Administration.
3. Mobilization – Using a variety of channels such as public advertisements, local radio, public gatherings, and social media to reach citizens and encourage participation.
4. Public Forums – Holding meetings at the village, sub-ward, ward, sub-county, and county levels to identify and prioritize projects.
5. Project Selection and Prioritization – Deliberating on projects at each administrative level and creating priority lists for higher-level decision-making.
6. Technical Evaluation – Assessing the feasibility, relevance, and quality of proposed projects to ensure they align with community needs and technical standards.
7. Refinement and Publication – Publishing the final list of proposals and ensuring citizen involvement in the process.
8. Voting – Conducting voting sessions using various methods such as ballots, SMS, and online platforms.
9. Budget Approval by Assembly – Ensuring that citizen projects are included in the final budget and that the County Assembly can only make amendments up to 10% of the total budget.
10. Monitoring and Implementation – Establishing Project Management Committees (PMCs) to oversee the implementation of selected projects and ensure accountability.

Implementation in Makueni and West Pokot Counties

Makueni County

• Location: Eastern Kenya
• Size: 8,034.7 km²
• Population: 922,183
• Economy: Subsistence agriculture, small trade, eco-tourism
• Sub-counties: 6
• Wards: 30
• Sub-wards: 90
• PB Allocation: 32% of the development budget, which amounted to Kshs. 823 million (12% of total budget) for the FY 2016/17
• Participation: 3,867 meetings with over 350,000 participants
• Inclusiveness: PB has enabled more participation from women and remote communities. In Makindu Ward, the process has been particularly successful in engaging citizens at the village level.
• Impact: Budget allocations have become more aligned with citizen priorities, and there has been a shift from new facility construction to upgrading existing ones, including women's development funds and wells.

West Pokot County

• Participation: Before PB, women were underrepresented in budget consultations (less than 11%). PB increased their participation to 35% through closer engagement and new methods.
• PB Allocation: 5% of the total development fund was allocated to community-identified projects, primarily at the ward level.
• Implementation: The process involved identifying community needs and proposing projects that reflect these needs, with a focus on basic services and infrastructure.

Emerging Outcomes and Process Improvements

Inclusiveness

• PB has significantly increased the participation of marginalized groups, especially women and remote communities.
• The process is inclusive and structured to ensure that citizens at all levels can voice their priorities.

Credibility

• PB introduces structured and transparent processes for identifying, selecting, and validating projects.
• It ties selected projects to a specific percentage of the capital budget (around 30%), which helps in managing expectations and enhancing the credibility of the process.

Compliance

• PB supports compliance with the County Government Act (2012) and the Public Financial Management Act (2012) by providing a structured and coherent process.
• It reduces transaction costs and avoids fragmented participation.

Early Lessons and Challenges

• Budget Variance: PB has shifted the focus of county budgets from increasing budget envelopes to addressing actual community needs.
• Citizen Engagement: The process has improved the quality of citizen input, leading to more meaningful development projects.
• Challenges: Despite progress, challenges such as tokenistic participation, lack of citizen capacity to monitor implementation, and limited engagement with some groups remain.

Conclusion

This report provides a detailed overview of the PB process in Makueni and West Pokot Counties, emphasizing its role in enhancing inclusiveness, credibility, and compliance with legal frameworks. It highlights the importance of structured engagement and the need for continued support and capacity building to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of PB initiatives.