This archive report was first published on 19 October 2019.
Published on October 19, 2019, constitutional commissions and independent offices have been warning that budget cuts are severely impacting their operations.
Speaking at the Kericho Green Stadium, Jane Kiringai, chairperson of the constitutional commissions and independent offices, expressed gratitude to Governor Paul Chepkwony for enabling the eighth annual conference to take place despite the challenges.
"I want to thank the commissioners and commissions that made it to Kericho in spite of the huge and drastic budget cuts. It has not been easy," Kiringai said.
She emphasized the importance of involving citizens in the decision-making process, stating, "Citizens are the best auditors because these are the milestones in which we measure service delivery. There is always so much they can tell us."
Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot, a member of the Parliament Service Commission, highlighted the struggles of independent bodies, saying, "Recently, I wrote to the Kenya Human Rights Commission to look into the atrocities being committed in Narok South over the Mau Forest evictions. The response I got is that the commission is starved of funds."
However, Deputy President William Ruto rejected calls for increased resources, stating, "The national government is also looking for money. We don't have enough money to run the national government. We must have a way of doing more with less."
Kiringai challenged the commissions and independent offices to foster accountability and enhance service delivery, saying, "There is no reason why we cannot innovate and develop a cutting-edge approach to social accountability."
