Following mounting pressure from civil society groups, the Mombasa county assembly will summon the Finance CEC to explain the failure to conduct proper public participation in the preparation of the 2025/2026 budget estimates.
The Coast Civil Society Network for Human Rights (CCSNH) protested at the county assembly for the second time on Tuesday, demanding accountability from MCAs over what they termed a neglect of their oversight duties.
They had first protested at the assembly last Friday.
They want MCAs to uphold their constitutional oversight role and reject the proposed budget until it undergoes proper public scrutiny.
CCSNH chairman Zedekiah Adika presented the network’s grievances, accusing the executive of violating budgetary laws and undermining public trust.
Adika said there was a report alleging that public participation for the budget estimates had been conducted, with a notice to that effect dated January 2025.
However, the law does not permit the scrutiny of both the County Fiscal Strategy Paper (CFSP) and the budget estimates in a single forum or on the same date, as occurred in the January session cited by the Mombasa executive.
“The public was misled. The same forum cannot handle both the CFSP and budget estimates. These are distinct documents that require separate scrutiny,” said Adika.
On closer examination of the documents, they established that the estimates were prepared and published before the CFSP 2025/2026 was officially passed, violating budget cycle regulations.
“The 2025/2026 budget estimates could not have been developed before the approval of the 2025/2026 County Fiscal Strategy Paper and the document for the 2025/2026 Budget Estimates was not presented for public participation,” Adika said.
He urged the assembly to rise to the occasion and perform its role more firmly.
“Beyond the budget, we want this assembly to also demand the governor deliver the State of the County Address, establish an internal audit committee and take action on the increasing insecurity in Mombasa through the County Policing Authority,” he said.
Muslims for Human Rights (Muhuri) chairman, Khelef Khalifa, stressed that the budget-making process ought to be transparent.
“Let's not forget, roughly Sh16 billion in budget allocation is passed to Mombasa county each year. Surely, the residents of Mombasa deserve a real voice in how these funds are managed,” Khalifa said.
Walid Sketty, another activist who attended the contested January session, also emphasised that their actions were in good faith and aimed at supporting the Assembly.
He said police officers were called to prevent them from accessing the county assembly building.
“We are not here to fight; we are here to help you do your job right,” he told the MCAs.
The Tuesday afternoon confrontation led to an urgent consultative meeting at the assembly chambers.
The meeting was chaired by the leader of majority, Athman Mwamwiri and attended by several MCAs, senior assembly staff including the clerk and civil society representatives.
“The Assembly received a formal petition from civil society groups dated April 3, 2025. The petition raised concerns over the timing, transparency and legality of the public participation process concerning the 2025/2026 budget,” Mwamwiri said.
The county executive had submitted the Programme-Based Budget Estimates to the assembly on April 30 – the legal deadline for tabling budget documents.
The estimates were officially tabled in the House on Tuesday.
The document has since been committed to the Committee on Finance for scrutiny and recommendations.
However, Mwamwiri acknowledged that the assembly had conducted a preliminary assessment and found significant procedural issues, validating many of the concerns raised by civil society.
“We cannot allow such an important process to be hurried or mishandled,” he said.
Following the meeting, Mwamwiri announced their resolution to summon the CEC to appear before the Finance Committee to explain the flawed process.
“The assembly majority leader will communicate the hearing date to both the executive and the public,” he said.
He added that the 2025/2026 budget estimates will be returned to the executive for proper and lawful public participation.
“Civil society groups will monitor the process and pursue litigation or further advocacy if the required corrections are not implemented,” he said.
The MCAs also pledged to uphold transparency and act decisively on the matter.
Shanzu MCA Allen Katana underscored the need to first establish whether any public participation exercise was conducted at all.
“The due process has to be followed,” he said.
