Mt Kenya leaders want cash sharing formula reviewed

Mt Kenya leaders want the formula used to allocate cash to counties and constituencies changed.

The leaders said the current formula has made the national government to neglect the region in allocation of resources.

In a proposal bound to cause a political storm across the country, they said the allocation should be based on population, excluding other parameters like size of an area and level of development that the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) currently uses to determine what each county gets.

“ Allocation of funds should not be based on size of the county but on population. For instance, Garissa County and Ruiru constituency have equal number in population yet Garissa gets more money,” Mukurweini MP Gathika Kiai said after a meeting in Naivasha.

PROJECTS

They also formed a parliamentary caucus to push for development projects in the region and drew a list of demands that will be handed to President Uhuru Kenyatta in Nyeri on Thursday where he is expected to open the Karatina market.

Mr Kiai charged that Jubilee had focused more on developing other parts of the country and ignoring central Kenya.

“Mt Kenya gave the President the largest number of votes and therefore we expect good development. As a region, government collects high taxes here,” said Mr Kiai.

The MPs resolved to be meeting once a month to review the government’s performance in the region.

In the meeting were Cabinet Administrative Secretaries Rachel Shebesh, Nelson Gaichuhie and Winnie Guchu.

MEET PRESIDENT

On the proposed constitutional changes, the leaders resolved that they would not support the referendum if the amendments will disadvantage the region.

The leader of the caucus Cecily Mbarire and Nominated Senator Isaac Mwaura will deliver their petition to President Kenyatta.

“Ms Mbarire and Mr Mwaura will come up with a document which they will present to the President on Thursday since he has agreed to meet us,” he said.

In demanding a lion’s share of national resources, the 67 MPs said they contribute more to the economy than what they were getting. They also said the region had more than six million votes and demanded the Jubilee government, the party on which they were elected, to “fulfil its pledges to us.’

SHARING FORMULA

“Mt Kenya must claim its rightful share within the remaining four years of the current administration,” said Ms Mbarire, arguing that only a fifth of the country’s wealth was being ploughed back to the region.

“We, therefore call upon CRA, Parliament and other relevant agencies to ensure that the region gets its fair share of resources for development on implementation of the second generation revenue sharing formulae,” said Ms Mbarire.

Key proposals to Mr Kenyatta of State will receive form the MPs for action are on water, roads, electricity and agriculture.

An insider told the Nation that the members were getting disillusioned by what they termed as “perennial neglect” by the government.

PROMISES

“With the President hailing from the region, the general feeling is that Mt Kenya enjoys unfettered development, which is not the case,” said an MP who attended the six hour closed door session.

Another source from the meeting said the MPs were unhappy with unfulfilled promises by the Jubilee administration.

The meeting brought together leaders from Kiambu, Nakuru Kirinyaga, Murang’a, Nyeri, Nyandarua, Laikipia, Embu, Meru and Tharaka-Nithi counties.

By Macharia Mwangi, Joseph Wangui and Ndungu Gachane