Deputy President William Ruto has urged County bosses not to take drastic measures like going to court in order to solve the impasse on the division of revenue and allocation of funds to Counties. Speaking in Tharaka Nithi, DP Ruto said there are already structured engagements between the Counties, the national government, the Senate, the National Assembly because the Constitution anticipated there will be discussions in consultations between various arms of government.
The Division of Revenue Bill 2019 has been the centre of attention for County bosses, who want more funds to be allocated to Counties, the division playing out between the Senate and the National Assembly. Senators are pushing for an allocation of Kshs 335 billion while MPs want the devolved units to be allocated Kshs 310 billion. On Friday, CoG chairman and Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya faulted the National Assembly’s stance, saying the MPs know the role played by the Counties to spur development.
On Saturday, DP Ruto said the money that will be shared between government and devolved units will be only what is available. He said it’s important for leaders to agree on level of sharing base don resources that are available and leaders shouldn’t go to a point where equitable share is made up of borrowed funds. “We are ready to work together between the national and County governments so that we can have a balance of sharing in a reasonable manner taking into consideration the requirements of the Counties and the requirements of the national government because we are all governments serving the people of Kenya,” he said.