Kenya’s budget making process has failed the transparency test with an international watchdog pointing to insufficient information to the public on how the central government raises and spends public resources.
- •According to the 2023 Open Budget Survey by the Institute of Public Finance, a transparency score of 61 out of 100 or above indicates a country is likely publishing enough material to support informed public debate on the budget.
- •Kenya has a transparency score of 55 out of 100 behind Uganda (59 out of 100) but above Rwanda (50), Tanzania (41), Burundi (15) and South Sudan (13).
- •According to the survey, the public availability of budget documents improved last year compared 2019 and 2021 where the availability of such documents scored at 50 out of 100 each.
“Government budget decisions – what taxes to levy, what services to provide, and how much debt to take on – have important consequences for all people in society. When governments provide information and meaningful channels for the public to engage in these decisions, we can better ensure public money is spent on public interests,” notes the survey.
Kenya scores well in availing pre-budget statement, enacted budget, citizens budget and in-years report document to the public. However other documents such as the mid-year review and the-end reports are either published late or not produced online or produced for internal use only. In 2021 and 2023 for instance, the mid-year review was not produced, while the audit report was produced late in 2019 and 2021.
The Open Budget Survey faults Kenya’s parliament for providing weak oversight during implementation stage in the critical processes lifecycle. To strengthen independence and improve audit oversight by the Kenya Office of the Auditor-General, it recommends adequate funding and a review of the audit processes by an independent agency.
The survey comes at a time when the National Treasury is planning to deliver the Budget Statement for the FY 2024/25 on Thursday, 13th June.
