Uasin Gishu County residents on Friday submitted their views on the medium-term budget making process for the financial year 2024/2025 to 2026/2027. They highlighted various proposed deliberations across various sectors like Education, public administration, environment, health among others. Speaking as he led a team from the National Treasury and Economic Planning to collect public views in Eldoret, Defence Principal Secretary, Mr. Patrick Mariru assured the public that their views will be taken into consideration in the budget making process. ‘This is not a pick the box process, all you have said will be taken seriously and we shall implement it. All the views collected all over the country are coordinated by the technical team and sent to the National Treasury, it goes to the Cabinet, then to Parliament where it is passed as a budget,’ said Mr. Mariru. ‘When the next year’s medium-term budget will be read, you will see the key things you have said there,’ added the PS. The PS commended the President for his historical move of conducting the budget making process by including various stakeholders and citizens at the county level unlike before when it was done at the national level only. ‘Previously the budget making process was being done in Nairobi, but the President decided it be done at the county level, this is the first time ever it is conducted at the grassroots,’ he said. Mr. Mariru indicated that, the exercise they are carrying out now is one of the ways of fulfilling the mandate given to them by the constitution as public servants to come to the grassroots to engage with the public and collect feedback which will inform the government’s decision-making process and planning, which helps in addressing citizens’ needs effectively and satisfactorily. Uasin Gishu County Commissioner Dr. Eddyson Nyale commended the members of the public for taking part in the exercise. He noted that promoting the right to public participation by involving the public in decisions that affect them, helps in enhancing democracy and good governance principles of transparency and accountability.
Source: Kenya News Agency