You check on utilization of funds through regular observation and recording of changes taking place in a project or programme that is budgeted for. This is the process of routinely and continuously gathering information on all aspects of the project.
This involves taking a critical look at the progress in a project in order to follow its development, and then providing feedback to the implementers and beneficiaries of the project.
The reports from the feedback can be used to make decisions that would improve utilisation
Yes. It is your right as a citizen to know how public funds have been utilised. In recognition of this, the Constitution provides for public participation in Budget formulation and implementation.
The public should check to ensure that the Government is undertaking the activities outlined in the Budget.
Where there is a failure by the Government in this respect, the public should inform the relevant authorities, which include Parliament, the Kenya National Audit Office, the Office of the Controller of Budget and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission among other oversight institutions to take appropriate action.
We monitor to achieve the following goals;
• Improve performance
• Enhance ownership and stakeholder performance
• Achieve evidence based policy and make decisions
• Help formulate and justify budget requests through allocation of resources
• Promote credibility and public confidence
• Support capacity development
• Help keep projects and programs on track.
• Assessing capacity and learning tools
• Help improve quality of projects and programs
• Identify what works well, what does not and the reason why
The following issues may be monitored:
1. Policies, Procedures and Legal frameworks
2. Strategies e.g. stakeholder participation
3. Projects/programs
4. Financial Monitoring
5. Institutional Capacity
6. Governance and leadership
Monitoring is an on going process by citizens, and other stakeholders in which they obtain regular feedback on progress being made towards achieving the goals and objectives of certain projects to their satisfaction.
It is a learning process, which entails determination of progress of projects/programs where they learn lessons on the best practice for future use.
Yes. A County can only spend money on those functions that have been devolved, which include agriculture, County health services, trade and development regulations, and pollution control, among other devolved functions.
Citizens can consult the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution to determine which functions counties are responsible for, and which National Government is responsible for, then see if the County Budget is aligned with County functions.
When we talk about priority areas, we generally mean the sectors that have received the highest allocations (most money). This is one way of understanding choices and relative priorities.
However, not all areas are equally expensive. For example, if one consideres international benchmarking for different sectors, education is usually more expensive than health, health more expensive than agriculture, and agriculture more expensive than water.
It does not follow that spending more on health than water means health is more a priority than water.
The law requires that public finances are managed in accordance with the principles of fiscal responsibility, which state that a minimum of thirty per cent of the County Government’s budget be allocated to development expenditure.
This implies that a maximum of seventy percent of the County Government budget shall be allocated to recurrent expenditure.
Development expenditure plays a pivotal role in the growth of your County. This expenditure relates to costs incurred in order to create assets that will provide long-term public goods, including roads, hospitals, schools and airports. Such expenditure tends to cover the construction of buildings, both residential and for office purposes; purchase of durable and longterm equipment, such as power generators and telecommunications equipment; establishment of water/sewer treatment plants, stadiums, recreational facilities and historical monuments, and installation of information technology equipment and other long-term equipment.
Recurrent expenditure consists of regular expenses that go into the running of the County. These include salaries and allowances paid to County employees; operational costs such as travelling and accommodation, telephone, electricity and water bills; maintenance costs incurred on equipment, buildings and installations; as well as funding for costs incurred to cover compulsory obligations such as bank charges, interest on official debt, remuneration costs and other services