The Commission on Revenue Allocation(CRA) has urged county governments to work in harmony with their respective County Budget and Economic Forums (CBEFs) to entrench budget transparency.
Many CBEFs in the previous county administrations were unable to deliver their mandates due to a lack of goodwill, with mistrust and suspicion cited as the major challenges.
Speaking during a CBEF training in Mwatate, CRA commissioner Hadija Juma noted that for the forums to work effectively, there’s a need for both state and non-state actors to work together to improve accountability and public participation at the county level.
She said the commission had noted the challenges that faced CBEFs in the first and second devolved governments and were working with the current ones to ensure that they don’t recur.
“We know the forums had encountered a lot of challenges because the state and the non-state actors were at loggerheads. We are however ensuring that we train them on how to cordially work together,” she said.
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Public views
CBEFs advise on budget and economic matters and help in the management of county finances by coordinating and collecting views from the public during the budgeting process. They also function as a think-tank for the county governments in terms of analysing and identifying priorities.
Ms Juma noted that out of the 46 newly constituted CBEFs across the country, the commission has already trained three. She said the CRA training is meant to familiarise the new members with their role in financial planning and development in their respective counties and to ensure that the devolved units’ leadership achieves their agenda.
“We expect that after the training, the committee will be able to work smoothly. They will develop their work plan, code of conduct and their terms of reference so that they can discharge their duties seamlessly and for more effective and efficient service delivery,” Ms Juma said.
She said the CBEFs are a bridge between the county governments and the public, enabling residents to participate in the budget process and management of public finances.
Taita-Taveta budget leader Isabella Kidede, who is also the secretary to the CBEF, said the forum will enable residents and the county to understand how various programmes will be achieved.
“I represent the community and my nomination to the forum does not mean that I have been compromised. We are working towards the effective utilisation of public funds and to ensure accountability of public resources,” she said.
Youth and Gender executive Shedrack Mutungi noted the importance of the forum, stating that they will work to ensure that residents benefit from the public funds. “I was in the previous CBEF and some of the challenges that we faced were a lack of cooperation. This time, as part of the state, I will ensure that the forum works for the benefit of the citizens,” he said.
