Yesterday, the Maono Community-Based Organization (CBO) consortium submitted a detailed policy brief with recommendations regarding the recently proposed Kilifi County Finance Bill 2023. The Finance Bill is a proposed law that outlines the government’s plans for taxation and public spending. It is presented annually and contains provisions related to various financial matters, such as changes to tax rates, allocation of funds for different government programs, and overall fiscal policies.
In an effort to ensure that the community is fully involved in governance processes, the Kilifi County Government conducts public participation forums to get the opinion of the community on the areas they would like the government to prioritize. On the 26th of January, 2024 ,the Maono CBO consortium actively engaged in mobilizing their community to participate, emphasizing the importance of their voices in shaping County decisions.
Members of the consortium carefully reviewed the Bill, breaking it down to key proposals and translating it into a language that the community could understand. The CBOs then used the translated document to explain what had been proposed and get the community to propose what they would have liked to change. This ensured that they were well-informed and prepared to contribute meaningfully at the forums.
After the public participation, the CBOs, together with the community, prepared a comprehensive memorandum to address some of the proposals that they felt needed to be adjusted.
Once the memorandum was ready, the CBOs, accompanied by Maono’s Manager, Chris Kariuki, presented it to the Principal Clerk of the County Assembly and it was well received.
“It is very profound to see the consolidated effort of 50 CBOs to be able to come up with proposals to enrich the County Finance bill,“ acknowledged Mr William Katana, the Clerk of the County Assembly.
He appreciated the instrumental role of CBOs in reflecting and addressing community-specific challenges, given their deep-rooted understanding and connection to the local context.
So impressed was Mr. Katana that he pledged to, “Put Maono, as a CBO consortium, on top of our the County’s} priority list so that every bill or policy that is being considered in the County Assembly, they be the first to receive it so that they give us their views.”
We are happy that even government institutions are willing to work with local organizations and that they are recognizing the power they hold in understanding their communities better and connecting with them deeper.
At Maono, we are heartened by such proactive and collaborative efforts in amplifying community voices. We are committed to uniting change agents who are dedicated to advocating for community needs. We believe in fostering a local support ecosystem that includes leaders, administrators, and, crucially, CBOs and grassroots mobilizers. This network forms a robust framework of social structures and institutions that empower citizens to actively participate in governance and development.
