Residents of Homa Bay have been urged to put their input in the county government’s budget making process through public participation forums.
The County Director of Budget Willis Bolo, said that Sub County administrators and the civil society should mobilize the communities to participate in the budget making process.
Speaking during a stakeholders meeting in Homa Bay town, Bolo said that there will be public participation meetings starting 24th to 29th of this month where two different Sub counties will be visited each day.
“We are trying all these to ensure that information reaches the society and more importantly that their wishes are covered during budget making,” he said.
He regretted public participations meetings during the last financial year were hindered by the Covid-19 pandemic which barred mass gatherings.
A civil society official Lawrence Ogutu said that there had been a lot of engagement between the County Government of Homa Bay and the Civil Society Organizations (CSO) network on issues of public participation for the budget making process.
“We are working as a team to avoid duplication of projects since we work towards the same goals ” said Ogutu.
He noted that before devolution, budgeting was done solely by technocrats without involvement of the common people who are the key customers of government services.
By Florence Owiti and Langat
