Public participation key to project success and ownership

Kabarnet,

Friday, November 3, 2023

KNA by Joshua Kibet/ Vincent Miningwo

A section of Baringo residents have urged the national government to deepen public stakeholders’ engagement by cascading meetings to sub county level to enhance citizen appraisal of service delivery priorities.

The residents noted that critical projects and programmes fail to achieve the intended objectives because planners convene forums in urban centres where they only invite few participants to represent the views of the many thus they fail to capture views of everyone.

Speaking during a country-wide stakeholders’ participation in the 2024/25-2026/27 medium term budget making process, the participants argued that the wider public is supposed to make decisions on the kind of projects to be implemented in their respective regions on priority basis.

During the meeting chaired by Baringo Central Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Monicah Ithatwa at Kabarnet Vocational and Rehabilitation Centre, the locals in their presentations stated that project ownership and sustainability will only be realized through effective involvement of the beneficiaries right from the budget-making, implementation to monitoring and evaluation stages.

The over 200 participants drawn from the seven sub counties of Baringo strongly recommended the establishment of a women and children’s prisons in the vast county which is experiencing increased insecurity.

A participant from Silale ward in Tiaty East Vincent Adoket who read the participants’ recommendations alongside Bishop William Kitilit called for establishment of the penal institutions to cut costs by judiciary and correctional facilities while handling cases dealing with women and children.

Adoket noted that establishment of women and children’s prisons in Baringo will relieve those in need of judicial services from the stress of relying on the facilities in far flank areas of Eldoret and Nakuru counties.

Participants in the one-day stakeholder forum on the budget making process further recommended for establishment of quarantine rooms in all prison facilities and police cells as a way of preventing spread of highly contagious diseases.

“You find nowadays, a criminal who has got TB is being left free to interact with the rest of the population who are healthy. This must stop,” said Adoket.

The forum also recommended for establishment of police posts in every ward especially in insecurity prone areas to handle the high cases of crime especially in the insecurity ravaged areas of Baringo South, Tiaty and Baringo North constituencies.

The stakeholders further championed for opening up of electoral, civil and registration of persons offices in every sub-county to bring the services closer to the residents especially from far flung marginalized areas.

Secretary of Administration in the State Department for Irrigation Vincent Matioli who read a speech on behalf National Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo assured members of the public that their comments will be taken into account when finalizing the 2024/2025-2026/2027 Medium Term Budget.

“The voice of every Kenyan must be heard and their views will be taken into consideration. I am asking members of the public to view the forum as of great importance,” he said.

He stated that the ministry will give Kenyan citizens the required justification on why and how the things captured in the budget shall be implemented.

Courtesy; KNA