MPs Approve Ksh 5 Billion Fund to Finance Public-Submitted Projects
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Lawmakers have created a Ksh 5 billion public participation fund that will allow projects submitted by Kenyans during budget hearings to receive money.
This comes just as the government has ordered drastic spending cuts.
The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning endorsed the Ksh 5 billion on Tuesday within the National Treasury’s 2026/27 budget estimates.
This new spending vote, dubbed “Strategic Response to Public Initiatives/Public Participation,” is meant for ongoing development projects that have stalled, hiring of teachers, and increasing the medical staff.
Ensuring Citizen-Led Project Funding Through Parliamentary Budget Allocation
“This relates to projects identified through public participation through the parliamentary process. This list is normally approved by Parliament,” Albert Mwenda, director-general for Budget, Fiscal and Economic Affairs at the National Treasury, said.
The committee, led by Molo MP Kuria Kimani, has directed the Treasury to establish the Ksh 5 billion vote so as to allow proposals raised by citizens during the country’s annual budget deliberations not to languish after public hearings are over.
“The parliamentary Budget and Appropriations Committee gathers recommendations made during public hearings carried out across the country when debating budget estimates,” the committee report stated.
The Treasury was asked by parliamentarians to find money by cutting recurrent spending.
The committee, among other cuts, reduced money for training from Ksh 250 million to Ksh 9 million, for office supplies from Ksh 485 million to Ksh 12 million, and for hospitality from Ksh 232 million to Ksh 12 million.
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Parliamentary Recommendations for Public Initiative Funding and Project Management
“The committee recommends an allocation of Ksh 5 billion under Strategic Response to Public Initiatives and public Participation,” stated Kuria Kimani in the committee report.
The proposal will be debated and approved by the National Assembly before its implementation, and the Treasury will be responsible for managing the funds, including defining criteria for project selection.
The BAC has also recommended that an audit be conducted by March 2026 to identify all stalled and slow-moving projects, with recommendations to Parliament on whether they should be discontinued, merged, or fast-tracked.
It further asked the Ministry of Health to prioritize the recruitmnt and funding of medical interns, and to confirm all 8,500 Universal Health Coverage workers.
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Parliament approves Ksh 5b public participation fund for projects Kenyans propose during budget hearings. PHOTO/ Files