Kilifi, The National Treasury initiated a public participation event in Kilifi to incorporate citizen feedback into the 2024/2025 fiscal year and medium-term expenditure frameworks. The session, set in the coastal town of Kilifi, opened the floor for local inhabitants and stakeholders to pinpoint and prioritize economic, social, and development challenges, guiding the national government’s resource distribution for the upcoming budget.

According to Kenya News Agency, the forum underscored the budget as a vital tool for enacting governmental economic policies, mirroring the community’s collective ambitions and values. Biwott highlighted public involvement as crucial to democratic health and the crafting of equitable, well-informed policies. He encouraged respectful and active discourse among participants, emphasizing the opportunity for previously unheard segments of society to voice their concerns.

Participants from Kilifi’s nine sub-counties presented area-specific issues and suggested solutions. Representing Kaloleni sub-county, Said Mwakalu called on the national government to reinstate free education and to allocate funds for road safety improvements, including speed bumps on the Mariakani-Kaloleni road, following recent fatal accidents.

Moses Baya from Kilifi North advocated for the establishment of processing industries for local agricultural produce, such as cashew nuts and mangoes, and for investment in modern educational facilities to enhance learning conditions for students and educators.

A statement from Shadrack Mwadime, Principal Secretary of the State Department for Shipping and Maritime Affairs, marked the event as a significant leap in Kenya’s budgetary process, the first of its kind since the 2011-2012 fiscal period. Mwadime reiterated the constitutional principles of public participation, good governance, and accountability, expressing optimism that the forum’s outcomes would instill a stronger sense of engagement and ownership of the budget process among Kenyan citizens.