Gender-responsive participatory budgeting: a case of Zimbabwe's municipal budgeting/ created by Nesbert Mashingaidze, Wendy Tsoriyo and Innocent Chirisa

This article sought to assess the status and progress in the implementation of gender-responsive participatory budgeting in municipalities in Zimbabwe using case studies of the City of Harare and City of Bulawayo. Participatory budgeting offers all its citizens, an opportunity to take part in the process of planning the budget, thereby directing public money to better meet their needs and ultimately leads to the attainment of social justice-a key pillar of sustainable development. However, in this supposedly 'all-inclusive process' there is still a missing link between policy and practice in gender-responsive municipal budgeting making process in Zimbabwe. The study engaged in intensive secondary data collection dwelling much on document analysis, literature review and content analysis. Evidence from the sources show each local municipality is mandated to engage in gender-sensitive participatory budget process as provided by the National Constitution and the Urban Councils Act Chapter (29:15). It was, however, revealed that the process does not prioritise higher order equality levels, such as control and participation of women, it does not follow a standardised procedure in implementation; the strategies of advertising the participatory budget meetings and advertising for objections are inadequate; there are time constraints to sufficiently consult and the actual implementation of plans on the ground is driven by individual interest and political emotions. It is, therefore, recommended that local governments should walk the talk by adopting gender-responsive participatory budgets whose process and programs empower all its citizens by improving the welfare, access, conscientization and control of particularly marginalized groups, such as women, children and people living with disabilities.