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Governors dismiss ‘purported increase’ of counties revenue share

Council of Governors Chairman Wycliffe Oparanya flanked by fellow Governors outside the Supreme Court on July 15. Photo/MOSES MUOKI.

NAIROBI, Kenya Jul 17 – Governors have dismissed what the government described as a revision of the revenue share to counties, with a purported allocation of Sh316 billion up from Sh310 billion.

A statement issued on Tuesday night by the Council of Governors Chairman Wycliffe Oparanya said there was nothing new in the purported allocation and insists that the Sh316 billion is already in contention with a challenge already filed in court.

Oparanya insists that Governors will not take anything less than Sh335 billion recommended by the Commission of Revenue Allocation.

“Governors, we refute Governments claim of increase in counties share of revenue to Sh316 billion and insist on the Commission on Revenue Allocation’s figure of Sh335 billion. We as the 47 County Governments choose to wait for the Supreme Court ruling on this matter,” he stated.

Governors filed a petition at the Supreme Court on Monday over the ongoing stalemate which, they said, has stalled operations in counties.

“The older version of the bill, which had Sh310 billion for counties, flopped at the mediation level of the National Assembly and Senate. It is important to note that the Sh310 Billion was less than Sh314 Billion shareable revenue for the financial year 2018/2019,” Oparanya stated.

The proposal by the Commission on Revenue Allocation has been opposed by the National Treasury and National Assembly, with Majority Leader Aden Duale accusing the commission of making unrealistic recommendations.

“The Commission is largely to blame for the current stalemate we have on the Division of Revenue Bill, first because the Commission has been making recommendations based on non-realisable revenues and secondly because the Commission has been wearing the hat of the National Assembly and the Senate by actually sitting on the division table and negotiating on the divisions,” Duale said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

“The non-realisable revenues being proposed by the Commission would in the end only hurt or jeopardize the national government,” he said.

In the meantime, Deputy president William Ruto has hinted that another Division of Revenue bill will be published Wednesday after consultations with stakeholders as instructed by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

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“After another round of consultations with stakeholders as instructed by the President, a new division of revenue bill will be published tomorrow where national government will forego some resources to enhance shareable revenue to county governments,” Ruto tweeted.

The proposed county allocation is 30.5 percent of the last audited and approved accounts for the year 2014/2015 financial year.

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