The new revenue sharing formula proposed by the Commission on Revenue Allocation is a ploy to kill devolution, Tharaka Nithi Senator Kithure Kindiki has said.
Kindiki said that marginalised counties that had started gaining from devolution will lose if a new formula is implemented.
Ultimately, he said, the 19 counties whose funding will be slashed risk being declared redundant and merged with other counties.
The process will climax in the killing of the counties as they will be at mercy of the national government, hence defeating the process of devolution.
Kindiki said those opposed to the formula are working not only for devolution, but also for the future of a united Kenya.
“Should I lose it in Parliament I’m willing to offer my legal services free of charge to the 19 counties and challenge such an outcome in the Supreme Court,” he said.
Kindiki said the one shilling, one vote formula will stagnate development in small counties like Isiolo and Tharaka Nithi that use most of the money in recurrent expenditure.
“Very little money is used for the development of the counties and therefore more money should be added to them to equalise them with other developed counties,” Kindiki told the Star on the phone Tuesday.
He said most counties had started building health centres, dispensaries and improving infrastructure, making the impact of devolution to be felt at the grassroots.
A stalemate in the Senate has stalled the passage of the formula. On Monday, senators were forced to defer debate after they failed to strike a balance even after a day-long kamukunji convened by Speaker Kenneth Lusaka to build a consensus on a method proposed by House Finance and Budget Committee.
The meeting ended in disarray after the lawmakers whose counties were set to lose up to Sh17 billion stood their ground and promised to reject it.
The third-generation formula will determine how the counties share Sh316.5 billion allocated to them in the 2020-21 budget.
Kindiki said that it is a pity that counties like Isiolo will lose Sh900 million and Tana River Sh1.6 billion as Tharaka Nithi faces Sh400 million cuts.
They are not opposed to populous counties getting more money but it should not be at the expense of other counties with larger land mass.
“Marsabit alone is the size of Western and Central Province in square kilometres, Turkana is almost the size of Nyanza,” he said.
He said Marsabit, Turkana, Kitui, Tana River are the largest counties and constitute almost half of Kenya hence giving them little money will amount to marginalisation.
“The principal where a county getting Sh10 billion starts getting Sh6 billion is wrong because in future we may be having a national government that wants to kill devolution. No county should be getting little allocation from what it received the previous year, we better put that one in the Constitution,” he said.
He said the sword that is being used to slash allocation in 19 counties is the same one that wants to kill devolution.
They are not opposed to Meru getting Sh500 million, Embu gaining Sh300 million, Kirinyaga (Sh600 million) and Uasin Gishu (Sh.1.6 billion).
“For instance, instead of giving Uasin Gishu Sh1.6 billion or lumping Sh1.3 billion on Kiambu you can give them Sh800 million each and give a county like Isiolo a bit of it to make sure no county loses on allocation,” he said.