Governance
Mombasa residents have been urged to attend public participation forums on the preparation of the County Annual Development Plans (CADP) 2025/2026 to offer views on projects and programmes
The County Government is scheduled to conduct public participation in all the 30 wards from 26 to 28 August. “The CADP provides the basis for spending and budgeting in the county and is used in the allocation of scarce resources to priority projects and programmes,” read in part the notice from the County Government.
Coast Civil Society Network for Human Rights (CCSNH) Chairman Zedekiah Adika observed that for the first time, public participation will take place in all the wards urging residents to participate in the budgeting-making process.
“We want to call on communities to organize themselves at ward levels in the sectors so that they participate, look at their main priorities, and look at the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP),” said Adika. The County Government was urged to strictly follow the guidelines of the appellate court on public participation by giving feedback to the communities after collecting public views.
“We have given them adequate time to settle, we are not expecting further mistakes. We will be keen on how they act on these processes,” stated Adika, adding that the County Government should also share physical budget documents with Sub-County and Ward administrators apart from uploading them to the websites for citizens to read.
The devolved government was also encouraged to come up with a program and a curriculum for civic education for the residents to be well informed and to establish the Internal Audit Committee. The County Government was extolled for the establishment and operationalization of the County Budget Economic Forum (CBEF).
“It’s an important institution in ensuring that public participation happens properly in the course of the budget-making process, implementation and even oversight,” said Adika, urging members of the forum to choose a secretary, provide feedback to the sectors that choose them and examine auditors report to give guidance to the County Government.
The County, Adika noted, also recorded improvement in revenue collection. ” That means if we continue in the same trajectory this financial year we are likely to go past five billion. That means we will have adequate funds to run our budget,” said Adika.
The devolved government was advised to ensure timely provision of budget documents.
Governor Abdulswamd Nassir was encouraged to deliver the state of the county address. The Civil Society Network has written to the Governor and the County Assembly on the same. “He has spent over Sh25 billion since he came and the law requires that he provide this information annually,” said Adika.
The Governors of Lamu and Tana River counties were also urged to provide a state of the county address to account for the resources that they have given and also to inform the public of the things they will focus on in the next financial year.
“That in itself will lay a focus for communities to also start thinking that the views they are providing should align to what the Governor feels needs to be put in place,” said Adika. Mombasa County Assembly was advised to open them to the public through information sharing to abreast of developments in the chambers.
“We want to see quality legislation coming from the assemblies and members of the assembly need to push some of those bills. We have noted a trend where a lot of bills get stuck at the County Assembly like the Youth Policy,” he stated.