Local govts advised on budgeting

By Billy Rwothungeyo

Local governments have been advised to take on participatory budgeting processes to better service delivery.

“It does not matter the amount of money you have, you will put it where the people decide. Of course, when people decide where to put the money, they will do so in areas where it is actually needed — not in white elephants,” said, Cezar Busatto, the secretary of local governance in the city of Port Alegre in Brazil said during a workshop organised by GIZ and the Municipal Development Partnership for Eastern and Southern Africa in Kampala recently.

“Participatory budgeting process should make an organic part of the public management. It should not be an isolated department connected to the mayor’s office to stimulate participation,” he said.

Port Alegre is one of the first places in the world that started hosting the participatory budgeting module.

Busatto also said it is not enough only to consult with the masses, but decisions should be followed through to actual implementation.

“Imagine if you take a decision with the community to build a school and then you don’t, next time, the community will be reluctant to participate in the budgeting process,” he said.

Busatto also advised that different stakeholders need to be involved in participatory budget process.

“Participatory budgeting can succeed when it takes into account social movements. If the process is only a government initiative, then it will not work,” he said.

“Participatory budgeting is a co-management between the government and social movements.” Maclud Kadam’manja, the CEO of Mangochi Town Council in Malawi, one of the participants at the workshop said Africa has potential to take on participatory budgeting.

 “The process is not only time demanding, but also requires a lot of financial resources and the political will of leaders on the continent,” he said