The Senate has on Tuesday voted to adjourn debate on the Third Basis for Revenue Allocation formula among County Governments.
The adjournment motion was moved by Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomento allow for a bi-partisan and all-inclusive arrangement on the formula.
This is the 8th time the Senate has adjourned the debate on the Revenue Sharing Formula.
Speaking during the proceedings, Senator Kipchumba Murkomen urged his counterparts to give dialogue a chance.
“We cannot be a house that can’t agree on a process that unites the country. We cannot be defeated to find a solution,” he said.
“There is an opportunity for all of us as a Senate to have a conversation around this subject matter and come to a conclusion that those who are losing by a huge margin may lose little and those who are gaining by a huge margin gain a little and keep our country together,” he added.
Senator Moses Wetangula urged Senators to use the opportunity to give Kenyans a direction and not waste time saying that Kenyans are suffering
The Senate was forced to adjourn last week due to the dusk to dawn curfew while debating an amendment by Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja.
The House had already voted to reject an amendment by Senate Minority Whip Irungu Kang’ata to delay the commencement of the proposed new formula.
Sakaja wants to retain the current revenue allocation formula for Counties saying they are all in agreement that Counties shouldn’t lose money.
He said the narrative that some Counties in this Country are getting money that they don’t deserve shouldn’t be entertained saying as Senator for Nairobi, the County would rather lose the extra Ksh 100 million it would get if they adopted the report of the Finance Committee than see other Counties lose cash.
The House remains critically divided on the matter with Kang’ata saying Jubilee party will take disciplinary action against Senators who don’t support the Party’s position on the matter.
The Commission on Revenue Allocation has insisted on its proposed formula saying it will be practically impossible to cushion the losing counties in the current financial regime.
According to the Commission’s Chairperson Jane Kiringai, the existing gaps can only be closed through an increase in the equitable share allocation to counties going forward.
Kiringai says the new data arising from the 2019 population census has amplified the magnitude of the difference in allocations among counties.
