Governors reject Sh217 billion allocation

By Roselyne Obala and Rawlings Otieno

Nairobi, Kenya: Governors have dismissed the National Assembly’s proposed allocation of Sh217 billion to counties, terming it way below their expectations.

They argued that the House’s proposal is geared towards starving counties of funds and therefore stalling development projects.

The governors cautioned that the move would derail the smooth implementation of devolution. The National Assembly’s proposal has been viewed as an attempt to undermine devolution going by the protracted wars between them and legislators.

The Council of Governors has called for a review of the proposed amount, on which Sh27 billion has been added to last year’s equitable allocation of Sh190 billion.

The council’s Finance Chairman Ahmed Abdullahi Mohammed regretted the funding proposed is even way below the 15 per cent stipulated by the Constitution, though the MPs have argued that it is 32 per cent.

“This amount is way less that the amount we negotiated. It is also below what the Treasury has put on the table,” he noted.

The National Assembly committee chaired by Mutava Musyimi explained that the county equitable allocation is based on the 2011/2012 national audited revenue.