THE NEXT EMERGENCY: Covid-19 recovery and building resilience through fiscal democracy in public finance management

The paper examines the limitations of short-term economic rescue measures in East Africa following Covid-19, advocating for a shift toward 'fiscal democracy' and 'civil protection' to address systemic vulnerabilities. It highlights how high public debt, illicit financial flows (IFFs), and a lack of public participation in fiscal policy undermine economic sustainability. The author calls for human rights-based approaches to tax justice and a return to civic education to empower citizens to hold governments accountable for service delivery and resource management.

• Current recovery efforts in East Africa are primarily focused on returning to pre-pandemic economic levels rather than addressing systemic failures in vital sectors like health, education, and water.
• Short-term economic responses to the pandemic, including debt relief, tax deferrals, and cash transfers, provide basic resilience but are not transformational.
• Public debt in East Africa grew rapidly between 2010 and 2018, leaving many countries in or at high risk of debt distress even before the pandemic.
• Illicit financial flows (IFFs) significantly hinder domestic revenue mobilization and economic development in the region, with an average impact of 6.1% of Sub-Saharan Africa's GDP; Kenya specifically is estimated to lose KES 40 billion.
• Rising external debt and account deficits limit economic growth by forcing governments to prioritize debt repayment over essential public services.
• The lack of open debate on fiscal priorities and limited access to information on public spending disempowers citizens and weakens parliamentary oversight.
• The author proposes 'fiscal democracy' and 'civil protection' as frameworks to ensure public finance management serves Africans during both stable periods and emergencies.

APA

Wanyama, L. (n.d.). THE NEXT EMERGENCY: Covid-19 recovery and building resilience through fiscal democracy in public finance management. African Forum and Network on Debt and Development. https://afrodad.org/sites/default/files/presentation/Covid-19-recovery-and-building-resilience-through-fiscal-democracy-in-public-finance-management.pdf

Chicago

Wanyama, Leonard. THE NEXT EMERGENCY: Covid-19 recovery and building resilience through fiscal democracy in public finance management. African Forum and Network on Debt and Development, n.d. https://afrodad.org/sites/default/files/presentation/Covid-19-recovery-and-building-resilience-through-fiscal-democracy-in-public-finance-management.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wanyama |first1=Leonard |title=THE NEXT EMERGENCY: Covid-19 recovery and building resilience through fiscal democracy in public finance management |publisher=African Forum and Network on Debt and Development |url=https://afrodad.org/sites/default/files/presentation/Covid-19-recovery-and-building-resilience-through-fiscal-democracy-in-public-finance-management.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wanyamandnext, author = {Wanyama, Leonard}, title = {{THE NEXT EMERGENCY: Covid-19 recovery and building resilience through fiscal democracy in public finance management}}, institution = {African Forum and Network on Debt and Development}, url = {https://afrodad.org/sites/default/files/presentation/Covid-19-recovery-and-building-resilience-through-fiscal-democracy-in-public-finance-management.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }