National Treasury Deputy Director of Budget, Isaiah Ochele (extreme Left ) Public financial Management Reforms Secretariat Programme Coordinator, Julius Mutua ( second Left) Jacob Muimi PFMRS ICT Specialist (middle) National Treasury, Director of ICT, Lynne Nyongesa, Fridah Kathure  (National Treasury Finance Officer) and National Treasury Senior Economist Alexander Riithi are taken through parts of the modules during the Online Budget Portal Workshop in Nakuru.

You will now be able to access budget documents and related information touching on all ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) courtesy of the online budget portal.  The National Treasury and Economic planning has finalized the development of the first phase of the online budget portal.

Speaking during the workshop held in Nakuru, the Public Financial Management Reforms Secretariat, Programme Coordinator, Julius Mutua said the budget portal development is anchored in the PFM Reform Strategy 2018-23 Results Area 2 “Strategic and Transparent Spending on Public Investment and Service Delivery, which establishes a clear agenda for budget transparency with a direct focus on ensuring public involvement in the budget making process.

The development of the portal is a Disbursement linked Result (DLR) under the GESDeK (Governance for Enabling Service Delivery and Public Investment in Kenya) Program, jointly funded by the World Bank and the French Development Agency (AFD). Upon completion of the first phase, the Independent Verification Agent (IVA) as required under the GESDeK program, will subject the portal to an independent review to confirm its functionality.

Speaking during the same workshop, National Treasury, Director of ICT, Lynne Nyongesa, said the portal developed forms part of the digitization campaign to increase transparency, promote public participation in budget making, and improve accountability in decision-making processes related to public financial management.”

“The first phase, that has been developed, comprises the development of the portal by establishing the online interphase and data management procedures for the public to access budget data in searchable form on programs and sub programs”

“Members of the public will also be able to access information on how much public resources are being channeled to schools and hospitals” she added.

Developed internally by Inter-ministerial ICT Team, the budget portal can be accessed at: https://bajetiyetu.treasury.go.ke.

The portal is designed as a user-friendly interface where key budget indicators are presented as charts and graphs. The portal is designed to be useful for both financial experts and the public. The first phase of the portal has three main modules, the first being a document library. This is a searchable library of published documents from the national and county level. The library includes two main types of information: on published plans and budget strategies, as well as detailed budgets, annual budget laws, and quarterly/annual budget reports” she added. “

The second module is an interactive data module. This online interface will allow users to view and interact with budget data. Users are able to access a collection of searchable, downloadable data tables, including in excel format.

The third module is the service facilities data for health and education. This module enhances transparency by providing the ability to drill down data search from county to sub-county. This allows the public to see how much funding is allocated to specific facilities and hold their leaders accountable.

According to the National Treasury Deputy Director of budget, Isaiah Ochele, the development of the portal has created an avenue for civil society and general public in the budget making process and enable Kenyans to have informed discussions of different government policy areas.

“The philosophy of the portal is to empower the public to understand the budget making process, to gain a clearer understanding on the budget calendar and for them to feel appreciated and encouraged to participate in policy making from a public participation standpoint.” Added Mr. Mutua

The workshop is part of PFM (Public Financial Management) reforms activities coordinated by the Public financial management reforms secretariat.