The County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) is a plan prepared by all counties to guide development over a five-year period. The Public Finance Management Act, 2012 provides that no public funds shall be appropriated outside a county’s planning framework. The CIDP should contain information on development priorities that inform the annual budget process, particularly the preparation of annual development plans, the annual county fiscal strategy papers, and the annual budget estimates.

A County Integrated Development Plan is a super plan for the counties that gives an overall framework for development. It aims to co-ordinate the work of both levels of the government in a coherent plan to improve the quality of life for all the people and contribute towards devolution. The county governments act section 108 outlines the county integrated development plan (CIDP) this outlines the county development goals covering a period of five years.
Importance of County Planning

The planning process is an integral part of the development process. It is the first critical stage of the budget process (PFM 35 and PFM 126). The PFM 126 provides that every county shall prepare a development plan in accordance with Article 220(2) of the Constitution of Kenya for approval by the county assembly. The county executive committee member responsible for planning shall submit the development plan before the county assembly by 1st September.

The development plan will inform the budget priorities for the coming year.
The County Governments Act, 2012 (CGA), 104 obligates a county to develop an integrated plan, designate planning units at all county administrative levels and promote public participation and engagement by non-state actors in the planning process. The county plans shall consist of the following;

The County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) is a 5-year plan that shall inform

• The county’s annual budget;
• County Sectoral Plan (10-year plan);
• County Spatial Plan is a 10-year plan using the Geographic Information System (GIS)
• Based system and will be reviewed every 5 years;
• City and municipal plans.

The CIDP shall reflect the strategic midterm priorities of the county governments. The CIDP will contain specific goals and objectives, a coasted implementation plan, provisions for monitoring and evaluation and clear reporting mechanisms. It will contain information on investments, projects, development initiatives, maps, statistics, and a resource mobilization framework.

The Counties have the first CIDP in place to cover the period 2013-2017. The majority also have second CIDP in place to cover the period 2018