The Role of Social Media in Promoting Budget Transparency and Citizen Participation in Kenyan Counties

ABSTRACT

Websites and social media are digital avenues that enhance information transparency and facilitate citizen engagement in public decision‐making processes. Kenya's county governments have been adopting different digital platforms in compliance with the constitutional mandate of ensuring residents are well‐informed and involved in local decision‐making. However, empirical studies assessing the efficacy of social media, especially in the African context, are lacking. This study examines the extent to which social media is promoting engaged budgeting in Kenyan counties. Trained citizens in 34 counties evaluate the effectiveness of social media platforms in (1) recruiting residents to budget deliberation forums, (2) accessing county budget proposals and decisions, (3) discussing county proposals and decisions, and (4) encouraging residents to actively participate in budget deliberations with the government. Results indicate that respondents generally see social media as effective in these roles. However, village‐level budget champions are more skeptical of these social media roles in county budgeting than area‐level facilitators.