Isa Achoba, Chief, Strategic Planning Monitoring and Evaluation,
UNICEF Kenya iachoba@unicef.org
and
Godfrey Ndenge, Social Policy Advisor,
Ministry of Finance, Kenya gndenge@treasury.go.ke

Content of Presentation
 Background to Social Budgeting in
Kenya.
 History
 Context
 Progress to date.
 Tools for enhancing Social Budgeting
 Social Intelligence Reporting
 Observatories in Social Budgeting.
 Lessons to share and recommendations

For many years in Kenya - budgeting was more preoccupied with Macroeconomic issues:
 Generating higher growth (GDP), controlling inflation, exchange/foreign reserves, debt etc
 Limited emphasis was given to human development
(poverty, health and education)
The need for a balance became imperative: to ensure that both macroeconomic targets and human development targets are coherently achieved

Initial ideas- Trickle down theory failed
1.The Government of Kenya-UNICEF programme in
2005, conceptualized the social budgeting initiative;
2.It is being spearheaded by the Ministry of State for
Planning, National Development and Vision 2030;In collaboration with:
1.
Ministry of Finance;
2.
SIDA (during the pilot phase)
3.The programme set up social budgeting observatories at the national level and initially in 3 districts (Isiolo,
Kwale and Turkana); These observatories;
1. Produced budgeting reports and;
2.
Carried out an assessment of institutional and policy challenges facing programmes .

Macroeconomic framework
Growth rate, inflation, fiscal deficit, public debt, taxation
 Resource envelope
Harmonization
Process and
Negotiations
Human
Development
& rights framework
Quantitative targets to reduce child deprivation, namely in health, nutrition, housing, information, water, education, sanitation and protection.
Mandated expenditures
Infrastructure Security HD/HR provisions

social sectors focusing on children and women participatory approach to budget preparation and monitoring
Women and marginalized populations
Budgetary decisions, allocations and utilization

Priorities amidst competing needs – best identified by the people
Development activities are inter-twined – Human rights are holistic social sectors focusing on children and women
Broader Participation ensures ‘equity',
'efficiency’ and
‘accountability’ in social outcomes
Policy and institutional hurdles - most visible nearer the ground
Ownership and sustainability of development participatory approach to budget preparation and monitoring
Women and marginalized populations
Budgetary decisions, allocations and utilization

Priorities amidst competing needs – best identified by the people
Development activities are inter-twined – Human rights are holistic social sectors focusing on children and women
Broader Participation ensures ‘equity',
'efficiency’ and
‘accountability’ in social outcomes
Policy and institutional hurdles - most visible nearer the ground
Ownership and sustainability of development participatory approach to budget preparation and monitoring
Women and marginalized populations
Budgetary decisions, allocations and utilization
Top Down vs
Bottom up
Balance
Addresses policy
Barriers
Evidence for Policy
Adjustment
Human
Rights
Resources means more than funds
Transparent
Decision
►
Children
► Women
►
Media
► Civil Society

Traditional Budgeting – Institutional Structures
Traditional structures
Ministry of Finance:
Fiscal and monetary division
Budget office
Ministry of Planning
National Development and Vision 2030:
Sector Ministries
And Parastatals
District/County sector agencies

Social Budgeting – Institutional Structures
Traditional structures
Social Budgeting
Structures
Ministry of Finance:
Fiscal and monetary division
Social Policy advisor
Budget office
Ministry of Planning
National Development and Vision 2030:
Sector Ministries
And Parastatals
National
Budgeting observatories
Sector Budget
Observatories
District/County sector agencies
District/County
Budgeting observatories

Social Budgeting Gains….
 Social Policy Adviso r embedded in the
Treasury
 Evidence-led influence on Budget for
Children;
 Convening hub for dialogue with sectors;
 Coordination of social policy brief into budgetary decisions;
 Monitoring of budget flows and utilization
 Social Budgeting Guidelines
 Social Intelligence Reporting;
 Observatories in Social Budgeting.

Ministry/Sector
Education
Education
Public health and
Sanitation
Pro-Child and/or Women friendly instrument
Free Primary Education
Early Childhood Development and child delivery services
Cash Transfer for Orphans and
Government Financial Year
(Millions of Kenya Shillings )
2008/9 2009/10 2010/11
6678 7546 9504
198 248
Nutrition
Output Based Approach (OBA) -
Voucher Scheme for Free maternal
147 163
Public health and
Sanitation
Gender, Children and
0 10
Social Development
State for Planning
National Development and Vision 2030
Vulnerable Children (OVC-CT) 579 770
Population Family Planning 110 120
State for Planning
National Development Constituency Development Fund and Vision 2030 (CDF) 10100
Source: Kenya Ministry of Finance, Nairobi
CDF is backed by law and applied in each of 210 constituencies to health, education, water sanitation and hygiene and others
On the average, 1 US$ is equivalent to 75 Kshs (2009), 80 Kshs (2010)
12300
446
276
9
817
234
14300

Are Budgets working for children and women?
Increasing Social Sector
Development Budgets
Social Policy Briefs
& Advocacy
No ‘real time
‘assurances’ of participation and ‘efficiency’
Are Budgets working for Children
And Women at facilities
And service outlets?

Social Inteliegence Reporting (SIR) in the context of human rights and development
An accountability tool prescribed in the Government of
Kenya Social Budgeting (SB) Guidelines to:
• Engage ‘Claim Holders’ in budget and social policy;
• Gauge the performance of key social policies for the realization of the rights of children and women in an environment of ‘equity’ , ‘participation’,
‘transparency’ and public ‘accountability’.
As originally coined by E.L. Thorndike (1920), the term Social Intelligence referred the person's ability to understand and manage other people, and to engage in adaptive social interactions
According to Cantor and Kihlstrom (1987), social intelligence is specifically geared to solving the problems of social life

Social Inteliegence Reporting (SIR) in the context of human rights and development
Social Intelligence Report summarizes and analyses data, information and evidence collected from;
1. Social networks,
2. Service points;
3. Community interactions, and;
Using the knowledge to inform management/actors and for more efficient and effective strategies and policies
….in the social sector

The Social Budgeting Guidelines prescribe SIRs as basis for convening Social Budgeting Observatories at – local, sector and national levels
Citizen participation in realizing better social, political and economic outcomes, as contained in Kenya’s Vision 2030 and the first Medium
Term Plan
Social budgeting intelligence reports are vital in tracking how budgets are working for children and women at facility/community and devolved levels as well as stimulate actions and accountability by ‘duty bearers’

UNICEF Kenya invests less than 100mUS$ per annum vs
Government Budget of 11 billion US$
Keeping ‘Eyes, Ears and Nose’ on the budget is key to realization of the rights of the most deprived
Engagement and Awareness of Budget benefits
(or failures) for/by ‘Claim Holders’ engenders actions and accountability by ‘duty bearers’

Are Budgets working for children and women?
Increasing Social Sector
Development Budgets
Social Policy Briefs
SIRs generated, tabled and utilized by SB
Observatories...’ accountability tool’ for social equity
Are Budgets working for Children
And Women at facilities
And service outlets?

Better
Social
Services
Policies
Better
Development
Results

SIRs in Practice… @ local levels
District or County
Development Office as Secretariat for
SIR
Participation in mutual
Accountability
District and/or County
Development (Executive) Committee
As Local Observatory
Social Intelligence
Reporting… a) Budget b) Policies
Education sector funds and Services
Health and
Nutrition services and funds
Social
Protection
Services and funds
Are Budgets
Working for
Children and
Women?
Water,
Sanitation and Hygiene services and funds
What ?
Who?
Why?
Where?
When?
Devolved
Funds – at least 10 of such funds exist today
Follow up on
SIR key findings and recommendat ions
Hold sector offices and officials accountable

The Kenya Social Intelligence Reporting Tool and template
Education Sector Facility Level Information
FE1: Facility ID ................................... FE2: Name .............................................
FE3: Urban........ (1) Or Rural........ (2)
FE4: Is it Public (1).... or Private (2).... or
Other (3)....? Specify ------------------
FE5: Amount of Fund received (Ksh)
2008/2009
Kenya
2009/ 2010
Kenya
Notes
/Remarks shillings shilling
FE5a: ECD
Primary School Information
FE6a: School Infrastructure Improvement
FE6b: Most Vulnerable Children (MVC)
FE6c: Free Primary School
FE6ci: School instructional materials
FE6cii: General Purpose Account
FE6ciii: Others
FE7: Secondary schools information
FE7a: School instructional materials
FE7b: General Purpose Account
FE7c: Others

The Kenya Social Intelligence Reporting Tool and template
FE8: Enrolment figure by class and sex
FE8a: One (1)
FE8b: Two (2)
FE8c: Three (3)
FE8: Enrolment figure by class and sex
FE8d: Four (4)
FE8e: Five (5)
FE8f: Six (6)
FE8g: Seven (7)
FE8h: Eight (8)
FE8i: KCPE Mean Score
Male Female Male Female
Male Female Male Female
Notes
/Comments

The Kenya Social Intelligence Reporting Tool and template
Male Female Male Female Comments
FE9: Facilities in Centres and
Schools
FE9a: Number of toilets by gender
FE9b: Number of water points
FE10: Number of child pregnancy cases
FE11: Notes of Parents Teachers
Association (PTA) minutes and usage of funds
FE12: School feeding Programme
Information
FE12a: Is there a school feeding programme (Yes/No)
FE12b: If Yes, Is it provided freely or charged?
FE12c: If charged, at what cost?
Copies to: The Facility Head, District, District Sectoral Heads, Sectoral Planning Directorate, Sectoral
Budgeting Observatory, National budgeting Observatory, Social Policy Adviser & UNICEF Kenya

Field Notes from Social Intelligence Reporting trials….
The SIRs field diagnostics have so far shown that …
1.
Vast ‘real time evidence can stimulate action… o In a district, 21 children are reported pregnant in a primary school alone this year; o
Anti Malaria drugs are lacking , sometimes for months; o
No toilet for ECD pupils in primary schools; o
A former Head teacher & past PTA Chairman in a School could not account for Ksh 130, 000 (from CDF +MVC fund);…

CTOVC is keeping children in schools;…
2.
Obstacles on the path of budget removed…
 e.g. the use Constituency Development Funds for spring water development;

In a Primary school, 750 pupils were on roll call, but only half was captured in the Education sector database…

Community
Claim Holder
Participation in mutual
Accountability
Entrenching the culture of accountability and productive engagement
District or
County
Fulfilling obligations ;
Learning for policy feedback
Taking the lead in
‘devolved governance’
Sector
&
National
Gauging impact of budgets and policies for children and women
Access to ‘real time’ information
Fast track to social equity

Social Budget Observatories are useful if ‘facts and figures’ on the ‘budget at work’ is available;
The Social Intelligence Reports (SIR) ….’eye, ear and nose’ on budget working for children and women;
The social Budgeting observatories meet to;
•
Deliberate on the ‘real time’ findings from SIRs;
•
Take and/or ensure that remedial actions do address challenges are dealt with;
•
Hold duty bearers accountable;
•
Foster citizen participation;
•
Contribute to policy performance review, and;
•
Gather evidence for the next budget cycle.

1.
Revise the Social Budgeting Guidelines – for use at county levels and with the additional devolution of political, administrative and fiscal powers and accountability in the new constitution;
At least 23 districts (1 per county) assessed and trained to apply
SIR as tool for Social Budgeting; By March 2011;
At least 23 SIRs generated/analyzed;
Utilized for policy advocacy and;
To address real time challenges.
3.
Real time evidence available on the benefit of Government of
Kenya investments in social sectors of health, WASH, Education, protection etc
By 2011, each of the 47 counties assisted to have at least one
Social Budgeting learning centre that applies the SIR routinely as part of their ‘SB’ practice of accountability.

1.
Work towards sustained national capacity and integration of Social Budgeting into national policy, planning, budgeting and public accountability framework; a)
Assist Government to develop and disseminate a national Social Budgeting Guideline; it empowers the citizens and CSO to demand engagement with the budgeting process; b)
Support national and local capacity for implementing the budgeting guidelines; especially use of Social
Intelligence Reporting;
2.
Sector-specific Budgeting Observatories are vital to ownership and accountability for effective and efficient use and reporting (accountability) of the increased resources gained through social budgeting;

3.
Gather evidence for increasing treasury allocations to pro-child and women friendly policies but also assemble facts on how budgets are working for children and women; a)
Consider the adoption and use of Social Intelligence
Reporting; b) Support Government to publish simplified ‘public versions’ of the budget; c)
Facilitate CSO, public dialogue and engagement with (a) and (b);
4.
Donors and development partners to increase resources (funding, technical, knowledge sharing via south-south cooperation etc) to social budgeting