TA chairman Kinuthia Wamwangi tells counties to keep off national assets
What you need to know:
- A row has erupted between Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho and the management of Kenya Ports Authority over who should manage the port of Mombasa.
- The TA boss made it clear that no port assets could be disposed of without clearance from the authority.
Counties have no right to claim revenue generated from natural resources, the Transition Authority has said.
TA chairman Kinuthia Wamwangi on Monday said rivers, seaports or harbours and minerals belonged to the national government and must be shared by all Kenyans.
A row has erupted between Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho and the management of Kenya Ports Authority over who should manage the port of Mombasa.
Mr Joho, backed by Senator Hassan Omar and some Members of Parliament, want its operations devolved.
However, KPA chairman, Danson Mungatana last week ruled out such a possibility.
He told a business forum that the port was a national asset and could not be forced to remit part of its revenue to the county.
“Mombasa County government has no authority over the port. This is a national treasure and it cannot be devolved,” Mr Wamwangi told the Daily Nation by telephone.
The TA boss made it clear that no port assets could be disposed of without clearance from the authority.
CANNOT DEMAND FEE
Mr Wamwangi said the same applied to rivers, lakes and minerals.
Natural gas, titanium, crude oil, gold, coal and other minerals have been discovered in different parts of the country in recent years.
“Even Murang’a and Nyandarua counties cannot demand a fee from Nairobi for having the two dams that are the main source of water for residents of the capital city,” he said.
He added that Kenya’s five water towers were also no-go zones for county governments. They are Mau Forest complex, Mount Kenya, Mount Elgon, Cherang’any Hills and the Aberdare Ranges.
He, however, admitted that lack of clear regulation on whether counties had a right to tax all the goods passing through their regions was likely to frustrate investors.
Counties are demanding levies from transporters crossing their regions.
Transporters have complained of being overtaxed. If the counties have their way, a lorry ferrying goods from Mombasa to Malaba, for example, would stop at all the toll stations in different counties to pay a fee.
“The issue of where to pay the tax is yet to be agreed on,” he said.
