Leaders reject county cash sharing proposal

Seven MPs have rejected the criteria used by the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) to allocate funds to the 47 counties.

The MPs, speaking separately, vowed to shoot down the formula which will see the country’s five biggest counties pocket the bulk of the funds set aside to run the devolved government over the next three years.

The MPs claimed that the formula, if passed by Parliament, would only benefit counties which are already developed.

It also emerged that the commission may have used wrong population figures to allocate more resources to Bungoma County at the expense of the neighbouring Busia County.

The MPs included William Ruto (Eldoret North), Beatrice Kones (Bomet), Charles Keter (Belgut), Benjamin Lang’at (Ainamoi), Isaac Ruto (Chepalungu), Joyce Laboso (Sotik) and Shakila Abdalla (Nominated). They were joined by former Attorney-General Amos Wako.

They argued that the formula favoured counties which are already developed while punishing poor counties by allocating them “peanuts.”

If the formula by the Micah Cheserem-led team is approved, Nairobi will receive Sh11.7 billion, Kakamega (Sh7.3bn), Bungoma (Sh7.2bn), Nakuru (Sh6.9bn) and Kiambu (Sh6.5bn).

At the tail end of the disbursements are Lamu (Sh1.4bn), Isiolo (Sh1.9bn), Samburu (Sh2.2bn), Taita Taveta and Tharaka Nithi (Sh2.3bn each), Elgeyo Marakwet (Sh2.4bn) and Laikipia and Tana River (Sh2.6bn each).

Mr Wako claimed the commission transferred some Busia County resources to Bungoma. Ms Abdalla termed the allocation to Lamu County “too little to make any impact”.

An aspirant for the Mombasa County governor seat, Mr Suleiman Shahbal, said Mombasa ought to have received much more than the Sh4.4 billion it was allocated since it contributes more than 20 per cent of the country’s revenue.

Reported by Geoffrey Rono, Raphael Wanjala and Daniel Nyassy