During the recent CABRI fireside chat in South Africa, a recurring theme emerged among public financial management (PFM) practitioners: the era of "business as usual" in budgeting is over. In Kenya, in 2024 our recent budget cycle faced an unexpected "hard-pause." While our expenditure estimates passed successfully, the accompanying Finance Bill—which funds the budget—was met with severe public opposition and ultimately rejected, leaving a significant funding gap.
This disruption served as a stark reminder of a fundamental truth in public finance: citizens do not inherently oppose paying taxes; they demand a clear, justifiable connection between what is collected from them and what is delivered to them.
The Disconnect Between Transparency and Comprehension
For decades, ministries of finance across Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond have treated public participation primarily as a procedural requirement. We publish comprehensive fiscal policy statements, upload dense technical documents to our portals, and consider the compliance box checked. However, as our recent Kenyan experience highlighted, there is a profound difference between merely hearing the public and actively listening to them.
It showed us clearly that transparency without comprehension breeds suspicion. In this regard, when the technical jargon of the National Treasury fails to translate to the daily realities of the citizenry, opposition to revenue-raising measures becomes inevitable. As technical people, we often assume that because the data is available, the public understands the fiscal constraints we face. In reality, the onus is on us as practitioners to bridge that communication gap.
Stepping Into the “Citizen Parliaments”
One of the topics that generated significant interest during our CABRI panel was the Cabinet Secretary’s of the National Treasury, FCPA Hon. John Mbadi Ng'ongo, EGH engagement with Bunge la Mwananchi (Citizen Parliaments). Bunge la Mwananchi are not formal government structures, but organic, citizen-organized forums that exist in cities and towns across the country. Thus by the Cabinet Secretary engaging in such fora, the citizenry is able to engage on matters finance without the usual technical jargons.
Historically, the Treasury might have bypassed such grassroots gatherings in favor of formal boardrooms. Today, we actively step into these spaces. Our leadership and technical officers meet with these groups, student bodies, and local stakeholders to explain the "why" behind the numbers. We break down the macroeconomic realities—explaining our debt obligations, revenue targets, and expenditure limits—in a language that resonates with the everyday citizen. It is an exercise in vulnerability and accountability, shifting the dynamic from a top-down directive to a genuine two-way dialogue.
The Mwananchi Budget: Unifying Revenue and Expenditure
To support this shift, we have completely revamped how we disseminate fiscal data. The introduction of the Mwananchi Budget (Citizen Budget) integrates both the expenditure plans and the revenue-raising measures into a single, accessible booklet. We want citizens to see the direct correlation between the taxes proposed and the public services funded. If these two elements are presented in isolation, the disconnect fuels opposition.
Furthermore, we recognized that true accountability requires putting a face to the figures. During our sector working group public hearings, it is no longer acceptable for broad estimates to be presented without direct ownership. Now, the accounting officers responsible for specific sector budgets must be physically present and are the presenters of the sector proposals. When a citizen raises a question regarding a departmental allocation, the respective accounting officer must answer directly. This demystifies the process and reinforces that real people are accountable for these public resources.
Backing Participation with Systemic Integrity
Of course, robust public engagement must be backed by systemic integrity. Citizens quickly lose faith if their feedback highlights inefficiencies that the system cannot correct. This is why we are aggressively integrating our internal structures—linking our electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system with our Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) and standardizing our costing tools. When a citizen questions a procurement variation or a project delay, our integrated systems must provide an immediate, auditable framework that ensures fairness and efficiency.
The path forward for PFM in Africa requires us to leave the comfort of our technical silos. The shocks we experience—whether from coalition politics, as our colleagues in South Africa recently navigated, or from the public rejection of finance bills—are not mere disruptions. They are catalysts for necessary reform. By transforming public participation from a statutory requirement into a genuine consultative partnership, we build the crucial currency required for any fiscal policy to succeed: public trust.