The public will now have a point of reference on expenditure and management cycles at the county, after a book on public participation was launched.
The book; Citizen Participation In The Public Expenditure Management Cycle At The Counties, produced by The Ecumenical Centre for Justice and Peace (ECJP) was officially launched on Friday, 24 March 2023.
The book illustrates the process and the impact of public participation in the society.
It features the county service delivery processes as well as the public expenditure cycles at the county level.
We wanted a way in which the public could give their views the type of developments they want while giving oversight on the projects being implemented
Cardinal Elias Komenya
Public Monitors
The book also brings to light challenges experienced by the citizens in monitoring development processes in the cycle of county service delivery.
The public legally have the right to be involved in planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation as well as review of public funds.
ECJP Western Region Chairman Cardinal Elias Komenya who was present at the book launch said the book will play a pivotal role in supporting public participation and inclusion agenda.
“We wanted a way in which the public could give their views the type of developments they want while giving oversight on the projects being implemented,” he said.
Public participation has grown tremendously and several counties are seeking to learn more on its importance on the lives of Kenyans.
“We want public participation to be a continuous process in every village unit so that we bridge the gap between the government and the people in terms of how people should participate and the audit process,” furthered Komenya.
Civic Education
Kisumu County Manager in the Senator’s Office Simon Peter who represented Kisumu Senator Tom Ojienda during the launch said the book comes at a time when civic education is needed on oversight and the role of every leader under the county leadership.
“We are very happy with the launch since the publics will now be able to understand what happens in every office o that they don’t get confused,” he said.
He urged the authors to further produce the book in the local dialects so that everybody could be able to read and understand.
The launch brought together various stakeholders from the county government as well human right defenders and community influencers.
The book will be available to the public at various book shops as well as ECPJ website.
