Nirobi: At the 2025-2026 budget public participation forum in Lokichar, area residents voiced strong support for deeper community engagement, oversight mechanisms, and urgent investment in education, water, and health services.
According to Kenya News Agency, Maclewis Erukudi, a village administrator from Kalapata Ward, called for the institutionalization of ward and village level accountability structures where the respective administrators are fully involved in project execution. He highlighted that contractors often commence projects without consulting area administrators or providing necessary information to their offices. Erukudi emphasized that proper allocation of funds in the budget could address this issue by including local administrators in project planning and execution.
Residents expressed the need for more Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centers, functional health facilities, and reliable water sources. Several speakers stressed the importance of incorporating timelines for proposed projects within the budget to enable the community to monitor progress and report any delays or abandonment by contractors.
The discussions acknowledged the inclusion of priority projects in the County Fiscal Strategy Paper (CFSP), but community members vowed to closely monitor the budget process to ensure it aligns with their inputs and reflects the discussions held during the forum.