The Kakamega County Government has been urged to always publish project implementation reports which can easily be accessed by the public.

The Director of a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Network for Research and Governance (NRG), Paul Odongo, said the taxpayers would be eager to track the progress and status of various projects being undertaken by the county government.

‘We do budget transparency surveys, and we have noticed that Kakamega has never published project implementation reports. These documents are very important; they show the projects’ status,’ he said.

Odongo also called on the County Government to publish citizen-friendly budgets, which are simplified versions of budget documents, so that the residents can easily understand in order to have meaningful and engaging public participation forums.

He was speaking in Kakamega after a training session for journalists on the budgeting process to equip them with the necessary skills to be able to inform society.

‘Journalists as members of t
he fourth estate play an important role in matters of reporting, and they need to amplify the community voices in matters of budget process and also to ensure the community participates effectively in public participation,’ he noted.

Odongo also called on the County Government and other local leaders to exercise political goodwill, establish rapport with journalists, and allow them to perform their duties, especially when they are investigating how funds are used.

‘When journalists are reporting, they should be objective, and the County Government should also understand that journalists are not targeting any individual during their investigations, but they are trying to enlighten the people on what is happening in the county,’ he noted.

Source: Kenya News Agency