The Evolution, Practice and Impact of Participatory Budgeting in Kenya : The Kenya Accountable Devolution Program

Citizen engagement is critical to achieving an effective devolution process. The success of devolution in delivering good quality services in Kenya is inextricably linked to the extent to which counties provide their citizens with adequate information on budgets and service delivery performance, empower them to participate and contribute to decision-making, and are held accountable. For a decade, counties in Kenya have been translating into action the legal principles on transparency, accountability, and public participation as enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya 2010. Although this has not been an easy task, counties have made notable progress, establishing systems, structures, processes, and practices for meaningful citizen engagement. One of the innovative practices adopted is participatory budgeting. With training and technical assistance from the World Bank through the Kenya Accountable Devolution Program (KADP), several counties have been implementing participatory budgeting since 2015 as an approach to achieving more inclusive and effective government