State House, Karen pissing contest unfair
What you need to know:
Away from the factional feuds in the Executive, the incessant quarrelling between the national government and the county governments over revenue sharing degenerated into an ugly brawl.
The outbreak of dramatic pissing contests among Kenya’s leaders and key institutions of government would have been so entertaining if it weren’t for their serious consequences on the citizens.
The stalemate over allocations to the county governments under the Division of Revenue Bill, for instance, means that the devolved units haven’t been able to access funds to provide vital services.
What a mess Kenya’s leadership has become recently! In the week that the government sought to focus public attention on gambling addiction and betting firms accused of dodging taxes, the government itself appeared to be hell-bent on gambling with Kenyans’ lives.
UGLY BRAWL
A number of Cabinet Secretaries came out to deny reports that there are deep divisions among their ranks, but ended up fuelling or confirming the speculation of a rift.
The long-simmering tensions between State House and the Deputy President’s section of Harambee House blew over, with the latter being linked to leaking or circulating another controversial letter.
Away from the factional feuds in the Executive, the incessant quarrelling between the national government and the county governments over revenue sharing degenerated into an ugly brawl, marked out by governors in smart suits chanting slogans through the streets of Nairobi and wrestling with security guards at the Supreme Court gate.
Meanwhile, the battle for supremacy between the two Houses of Parliament broke out again, with the Senate this time suing the National Assembly for allegedly overlooking it in the passing of about 20 Bills.
The outbreak of dramatic pissing contests among Kenya’s leaders and key institutions of government would have been so entertaining if it weren’t for their serious consequences on the citizens.
As they say, when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.
The stalemate over allocations to the county governments under the Division of Revenue Bill, for instance, means that the devolved units haven’t been able to access funds to provide vital services like health, early childhood education, rural roads and agricultural extension at the grassroots.
CITIZENS CASUALTIES
The Council of Governors, backed by the Commission on Revenue Allocation and the Senate, is holding out for Sh335 billion, which is Sh21 billion more than what the Treasury and the National Assembly are offering them.
The leaked letter attributed to the President’s budget adviser has since been disowned by State House and is under investigation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
But it appeared to suggest that the national government had begun withdrawing its share of funds, leaving little room for redistribution.
Another controversial leak attributed to the same address or thereabouts recently linked four Cabinet Secretaries and some senior government officials to meetings at a Nairobi hotel, where the assassination of the Deputy President was allegedly discussed.
But the pissing contest between State House and Karen raises serious concerns.
When the political temperatures in the country rise and the fight against corruption stalls, the citizens become the casualty.
