The National Treasury is set to launch an ambitious joint economic planning training across all 47 counties, with Busia County chosen as the pilot site.

The exercise aims to harmonise national and county-level development plans that have, for years, operated in isolation despite sharing a common national vision.

Speaking during a televised interview on Saturday, October 4, 2025, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi emphasised that Kenya has not treated planning as a serious exercise in governance for a long time.

He noted that while the country has key financial management laws such as the Public Finance Management Act and the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, there is no legislation guiding the government’s planning and development framework.

“We have Acts of Parliament governing public finance and procurement, but none for planning or development. That’s why, under my ministry, we are working on a planning bill because planning is important. If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail,” Mbadi stated.

He observed that Kenya last witnessed serious economic planning during the first administration of President Jomo Kenyatta, when Tom Mboya served as minister for economic planning, and later under the leadership of President Mwai Kibaki, when Professor Peter Anyang Nyong’o and Wycliffe Oparanya served in the same docket.

Integrated county approach

According to Mbadi, planning in subsequent administrations has largely been treated as an afterthought.

The Cabinet Secretary explained that the National Treasury decided to establish an integrated plan where the national government works hand in hand with the devolved units.

This, he said, is meant to bridge the disconnect that has existed between national and county economic plans.

 “For long, there has been no linkage between the two levels of government. Each has been operating with its own plan despite sharing a national vision. Through this programme, we will ensure an integrated approach,” Mbadi stated.

He further revealed that the programme will focus on capacity building for county planners, policymakers, and leaders responsible for economic development.

The training

The training, which will run for two months, will involve county directors of planning, governors’ economic advisory teams, and chairs of county assembly finance and planning committees. National government planning officers will also participate.

The training will be conducted in four regional clusters, covering all 47 counties. The first phase begins immediately and will run until October 18, followed by a second phase from November 9 to 22.

The official launch of the forum is scheduled for Sunday, October 5, 2025, in Busia County, before moving to Uasin Gishu County as part of the next phase of the rollout.

According to Mbadi, the ultimate goal is to equip county and national officers with the technical skills necessary for evidence-based planning and budgeting, ensuring Kenya’s future development is grounded in well-coordinated, data-driven policies.

During the interview, he also gave the current status of the national debt.