Application of Budgeting as a Tool for Implementing Urban Physical Development Plans (Case Study: Kenya)
محورهای موضوعی : Urban Planning
wilfred omollo
1
(Department of Planning, Kisii University, Kenya)
کلید واژه: Budgeting, economic development, urban planning, Kenya,
چکیده مقاله :
A country’s national budget is one of its most important public documents. However, it is unclear whether they consider physical planning given that urban physical development planning should come before economic planning because it provides a spatial framework within which economic decisions are implemented. This study therefore investigated the prioritization of urban physical planning by examining the budget procedures employed by the Kenyan Government and the County Government of Kisii. It was framed on the theory of public finance with an exploratory research design. Data on budget implementation by the Government of Kenya was sourced from the budget statements covering the 2021/2022 to 2023/2024 fiscal years, while that of the County Government of Kisii was obtained from the integrated development plans for 20132017, 2018-2022 and 20232027 as well as the annual development plans for the 2019/2020 to 2023/2014 fiscal years. Deductive content analysis was used to determine whether the two tiers of government prioritized urban physical planning within their annual budgets. The results revealed that the Government of Kenya did not incorporate urban physical planning when budgeting. Regarding the County Government of Kisii, the department accountable for planning received the least funding, thus making it unable to prepare new plans or finish those that were already underway, nor could it implement those already completed. The article concludes that urban physical development planning was not prioritized by both government levels. Consequently, most urban areas in Kenya are growing without the spatial frameworks required for long-term development.
