Mudavadi calls for audit on public participation expenditure

He said depending on the complexity, some quoted between Sh50 million and Sh100 million.

by Allan Kisia

News25 March 2025 - 18:50

In Summary

Mudavadi said the cost implications of public participation also impact tax payers.
Mudavadi regretted that despite the huge cost implications, public participation has sometimes been perceived as a mere formality.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has called for review and audit of public participation processes both at the national, county level and beyond.

Mudavadi explained that after engaging the ministries to tabulate the cost effectiveness for reviewing one law in relation to the public participation exercise, the least cost an estimated Sh10 million.

He said others, depending on the complexity, quoted between Sh50 million and Sh100 million.

“Democracy is expensive and it is the best mode but when we did calculations, we multiplied with the lowest figure and the totals ran into Sh7 billion on average," Mudavadi revealed.

"Now the question is, if public participation is going to cost Sh7 billion at the lowest, how do you choose between public participation and supplying drugs to hospitals,” he posed.

The Prime CS noted that the cost implications of public participation negatively impact the tax-payers.

He noted that the constitution recognises public participation as a key national value and principle of governance but said focus should not only be on inclusivity, transparency and accountability but also on the price tag that comes with the exercise.

“As we reflect on this noble endeavour, we must appreciate that public participation has also come along with unique challenges. This means government has to balance between accelerated development and at the same time make sure citizens are part and parcel of the engagements,” he stated.

Mudavadi regretted that despite the huge cost implications, public participation has sometimes been perceived as a mere formality, rather than a genuine effort to involve citizens in decision-making processes.

He said public institutions are struggling to strike a balance between citizen engagement in policy formulation and programmes implementation.

Mudavadi was speaking on Tuesday during the High Level 2025 Open Government Partnership; Africa and Middle East Regional Ministerial Meeting in Nairobi.

The Prime CS noted that the State Department for Parliamentary Affairs under his office had identified 700 pieces of legislation or amendment under the Government Legislative Agenda (GLA) to align laws.

“So far, we have a record of over 700 pieces of legislation that require either an amendment or a fresh overhaul of the legislation. This means even if you have a robust Parliament which is very pro-efficient, you will have to figure out how fast or cost effective you will achieve tangible results keeping in mind that public participation has to accompany each of the review,” he told the meeting.