NAIROBI, Kenya — The National Treasury of Kenya, through its State Department for Economic Planning, is developing a new Economic Planning Policy aimed at enforcing compliance among ministries and state agencies that fail to implement national development programmes.
The proposed policy introduces, for the first time, enforcement mechanisms targeting entities that do not adhere to key frameworks such as Vision 2030 and the Medium Term Plan Four. Officials say the move is intended to address persistent delays and stalled public projects.
Principal Secretary in the State Department for Economic Planning, Bonface Makokha, said the policy is designed to restore discipline in public spending and ensure development plans are treated as binding commitments rather than optional guidelines.
“If a plan is like an advisory you eiotehr decide to take it or not even when you deviate nothing happens and i think that is the main weakness that we have and we are trying to adress that by introductionn of economic planning policy which will now strengthen the link between policy planning budgetting and implementation and include enforcement mechanism of if you are not able to stick by the boan then what happens to you,” said Dr Makokha.
Under the proposed framework, ministries, departments and agencies that fail to meet implementation targets could face reduced budget allocations, a significant shift from the current system, where limited enforcement has often allowed underperformance to go unchecked.
“When we have a policy that now allows a very uniform template in how things are done, this will be a motivation because no one wants their plans to be delayed… delayed approvals mean you are delaying implementation,” Dr Makokha added.
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The government hopes that stricter adherence to development plans will improve project completion rates, enhance value for money, and restore credibility to the country’s economic planning process—an issue that has long been criticised by auditors and policy analysts.
The reform comes amid broader efforts by the government to strengthen fiscal discipline and improve accountability in public expenditure, particularly as Kenya grapples with budget constraints and rising public debt.
However, officials acknowledge that implementation challenges extend beyond compliance. Delayed disbursement of funds, procurement bottlenecks, and shifting policy priorities have also contributed to slow progress. The new policy is expected to address these structural issues alongside enforcement.
