The Government, through the Ministry of Finance and Planning, organized a County Consultation Forum in Kwale County, on the preparation of the Fourth Medium Term Plan 2023-2027.

County consultation forums are discussions where stakeholders brainstorm and plan the formulation of development policies for the governance of the country.

In Kenya, public participation is a provision of the 2010 Constitution in Section 174c where all citizens of the country have the right to participate and it is their civic obligation to engage in all county governance processes.

Medium-term plans are development strategies that focus on major policies, legal and institutional reforms as well as programs and projects that the government plans to implement in line with vision 2030.

To implement the comprehensive country vision 2030 which aims to transform the country into a newly industrialized middle-income country, providing a high quality of life for all its citizens in a clean and safe environment, the government is implementing this vision at through a successive five-medium term plan.

Currently, the government is implementing the third medium term plan (MTP 2018-2022) whose theme is to transform lives through the advancement of socio-economic development through the four major programs – food security, affordable housing, affordable manufacturing and health care.

Speaking to the press at the county consultation forum held at the Matuga School of Government in Matuga Sub-County in Kwale, the Principal Secretary (PS) of the State Department of Corrections from the Ministry of Home Affairs and National Government Coordination, Safina Kwekwe, asked members of the public to attend the forums so that their voices can be heard.

She added that public participation is invested in members of the public and the government will protect it.

“We want all citizens to participate in this exercise. By participating, members of the public will be able to express their wishes to the government and the priorities they have on the development projects that the government will undertake,” said PS Kwekwe.

The PS said the country had made incredible progress in pursuing the big four agenda of food and nutrition security, manufacturing, universal healthcare and affordable housing.

She disclosed that the MTP IV will put a strain on the economy and that economic drivers such as agriculture and manufacturing will take center stage over the next four years.

“The third MTP has laid a solid foundation for the growth of our economy and now the fourth MTP wants to put the government on the main drivers of the economy so that we can make our country a middle income,” Kwekwe said.

The World Bank classifies a low-income country if its GDP per capita is less than $2,250, a lower-middle-income country if it is between $2,250 and $7,500, an upper-middle-income country if it is between $7,500 and $14,500 and in high-income countries. if it is $14,500 or more.

Among the priority areas in the preparation of the fourth MTP is the implementation of strategic interventions aimed at driving the economic recovery on a sustainable growth trajectory of 9.2% and increasing the country’s share of GDP from 7, 6% in 2020 to 15% by 2027.

The fourth MTP will increase investment in improving infrastructure to reduce the cost of doing business, which in turn will improve national competitiveness and productivity.

In addition, the plan will focus on creating sustainable and decent employment opportunities and improving productivity, among others.

The first MTP was implemented between 2008 and 2012 and the second between 013 and 2017.

The PS said the government was investing deeply in the manufacturing industry in order to be able to stabilize the economy which was heavily dependent on imported products.

She said the high cost of living in the county is due to the country’s reliance on imported goods and the government has captured this in the fourth MTP by creating strong agricultural and manufacturing pillars.

“We have strategies for the country to move to full manufacturing so that we can reduce the import rate,” PS Kwekwe said.

She added that the major infrastructural developments seen in the country are an imperative step towards economic growth as they create an enabling environment for business operations.

Kwekwe noted that the government is strategizing in value addition processes so that it can benefit its people and support the wider East African market.

She added that progress in the agricultural sector such as the establishment of the banana processing plant in Kisii County and the renovation of other processing plants across the country are part of the government’s strategies to improve food security. from the country.

She urged county governments across the country to work closely with the government and initiate projects that will see the country achieve the 2030 vision.

Kwekwe noted that in order to implement the country’s vision, Kwale County is funding a number of projects such as fruit processing factory in Matuga sub-county, Mwakalanga dam project in Mwereni district and the creation of wholesale markets for fresh produce.

Currently, the government is holding county consultation forums in all forty-seven counties ahead of the release of the first draft of the fourth MTP in June.

In September, the Ministry of Finance and Planning will revise the draft MTP 2023-2027 followed by the national validation forum in mid-November.

Later in January 2023, the government will launch the MTP IV 2023-2027 and its dissemination to the forty-seven counties.

By Raymond Zaka and Hussein Abdullahi