Senate summons Rotich over delay to release Equalisation Fund
What you need to know:
- Treasury and has been allocated Sh3 billion every year for the past three years.
- Senators said the delay in disbursing the money had put the counties in a difficult situation as they could not access the funds without the Treasury’s regulations.
- Mr Rotich will appear before the House Finance Committee, which is chaired by Mandera Senator Billow Kerrow, within 14 days.
Senators have summoned National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich over the failure to disburse billions of shillings allocated to the Equalisation Fund since 2013.
The lawmakers were furious that the fund had not benefitted any of the 47 devolved units despite having been set up to help marginalised counties catch up with the rest of the country, saying the Treasury had delayed in developing regulations to govern it. The fund is maintained by the Treasury and has been allocated Sh3 billion every year for the past three years.
However, the senators said the unexplained delay in disbursing the money had put the counties in a difficult situation as they could not access the funds without the Treasury’s regulations.
Mr Rotich will appear before the House Finance Committee, which is chaired by Mandera Senator Billow Kerrow, within 14 days.
RELEASE SH6 BILLION
“This is a matter of great significance to many counties, mostly in arid and semi-arid areas,” said Mr Kerrow when the matter came up before the House on Thursday. “The fund has taken a very long time to be operationalised.
“I will invite the Cabinet Secretary (Mr Rotich) to explain how the fund will be made operational.”
While at a function in Isiolo County recently, President Uhuru Kenyatta said the government will release Sh6 billion from the fund to the needy counties this year.
Minority Leader Moses Wetang’ula said the CS should tell the House how the money was being administered and whether the Executive had a role in its distribution.
“Where is the money?” asked Bungoma Senator Wetang’ula.
