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Alarm over limited data available on the Budget

citizens

Taxpayers queue to file their returns in Eldoret. Citizens have the right to know how their government is raising and spending public funds. FILE PHOTO | NMG

The public gets scant budget information and few opportunities to engage in the budgeting process, a report has revealed.

It says the Legislature and audit institutions in Kenya provide limited oversight of the budget.

The findings are contained in a report released by the International Budget Partnership (IBP), an organisation that collaborates with civil society groups to analyse, monitor and influence government budget processes.

On transparency (Open Budget Index), Kenya has a score of 46 out of 100. This is near the global average score of 42. The country’s score of 46 on the 2017 Open Budget Index is largely the same as the one in 2015.

IBP said that since 2015, Kenya has decreased the availability of budget information by reducing the data in the In-Year reports.

Key budget documents include Pre-Budget Statement, Executive’s Budget Proposal, Enacted Budget, Citizen Budget, In-Year reports, Mid-Year review, Year-End report and Audit report.

On public participation, Kenya’s score of 15 out of 100 indicates that it provides few opportunities for the public to engage in the budget process. This is, however, higher than the global average score of 12.

On budget oversight, Kenya scored 50 out of 100. “IBP considers countries that score above 60 on the Open Budget Index as providing sufficient budget information to enable the public to engage in discussions in an informed manner,” IBP said.

“We also consider countries scoring above 60 on participation and oversight as providing adequate opportunities for the public to participate in the budget process and providing adequate oversight practices,” it added.

A key recommendation is the production and publication of a citizen budget (the Mwananchi Guide), a non-technical version of the Executive’s Budget Proposal or Enacted Budget.

Also, increase of the information provided in the Executive Budget Proposal and Year-End report is recommended.

The 2017 survey evaluated 115 countries across six continents, adding 13 new countries to the survey since the last round in 2015.

It revealed that many governments around the world are making less information available about how they raise and spend public money.

It showed a modest decline in average global budget transparency scores, from 45 in 2015 to 43 in 2017 for the 102 countries surveyed in both rounds (scores were out of a possible 100).

This is in stark contrast to the average increase of roughly two points documented among comparable countries in each round of the Open Budget Index between 2008 and 2015.

IBP said the reversal of transparency gains is discouraging, given that roughly three-quarters of the countries assessed do not publish sufficient budget information (a score of 61 or higher).

IBP executive director Warren Krafchik said the decline in budget transparency is worrisome against a global backdrop of rising inequality, restrictions on media and civic freedom, and weakening of trust between citizens and governments.

“Citizens have the right to know how their government is raising and spending public funds,” said Mr Krafchik.

“They should also have opportunities to participate in budget making and oversight, which can lead to more equitable budgets and efficient spending. The failure by most governments to involve the public in decision making or to explain their plans and budgets weakens trust and undermines democracy,” he added.

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The report showed that not a single country out of the 115 surveyed offered participation opportunities that are considered adequate (a score of 61 or higher).
The average global score is 12 out of 100, with 111 countries having weak scores (lower than 41).

The report said without opportunities for citizens’ active participation — particularly those from marginalised or vulnerable groups, budget systems might serve only the interests of powerful elites.

Launched in 2006, the Open Budget Index is the world’s only independent, comparative assessment of the three pillars of public budget accountability — transparency, oversight and public participation.