Mungatana faults Gachagua over one man, one-shilling revenue formula

Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana when he chaired the Ad-Hoc Committee investigating the Shakahola deaths. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana has told off Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua over calls for one vote, one man, one-shilling revenue sharing formula saying that it will marginalise other parts of the country.

Addressing a press conference at Parliament Buildings, Nairobi, yesterday, Mungatana said that if Gachagua persists with the calls the rest of the country will have no option but to support one vote, one man, one-kilometer revenue sharing formula.

The senator argued that the marginalised communities are not in the country by mistake and the 1965 sessional paper created a policy for discrimination of arid and semi-arid areas, with sessional papers that came afterward trying to correct this segregation policy.

“If you are planning to be President of this country you cannot ignore countries with small populations, Presidents Daniel arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki, Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto have never ignored us, anybody trying to ignore us, will be doing it at his own peril,” he said.

He said it was sad that Gachagua wants to apply a 1965 sessional policy in 2024 and they will not accept the discrimination of arid areas which have been marginalised since independence, and now devolution is working to change that.

Mungatana noted that Tana River County produces 80 per cent of the electricity used in the country giving chance to other regions to enjoy economic prosperity and it would be unfair for anyone to come up with a proposal that will further marginalise the county.

The senator said Gachagua's statement is not the official position of the ruling Kenya Kwanza Alliance neither has it been approved by the Cabinet and he should stop coming up with policies that will lead to divisions in the country.

“When you talk of one constituency having 300,000 people and should therefore benefit more at the expense of another one with 14,000 people you should remember those with high population have been developing at the expense of the marginalised areas for many years,” said Mungatana.

He regretted that Tana River residents and other families across the country are currently suffering due to floods and Gachagua should desist from coming up with insensitive proposals but mobilise aid for the needy.

Mungatana said that now that resources are dispersed to counties and constituencies in various parts of the country, leaders from marginalised counties cannot allow the politics of division and segregation to carry the day.

The senator maintained that Nairobi and Tana River counties were incomparable as each has their own needs and it will be wrong for any leader to appear to demean the needs of either of the counties since they are part of the country and nobody can change that.

“The head needs the heart, the heart needs the kidney, the kidney needs the liver, and all parts of the body are important, all Kenyans matter notwithstanding where they come from are very important and should not be looked down upon by anyone,” said Mungatana.