NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 18 – The Council of Governors has lifted the Counties shut-down, a day after the Senate resolved the stalemate on Revenue Sharing Formula.
In a statement, CoG Chairperson Wycliffe Oparanya thanked President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga for their intervention to end the standoff that had caused financial crisis at the counties.
“After consultation with my colleagues, I hereby announce lifting of the counties shutdown and urge the devolved units to resume their functions immediately. This is after the Senate unanimously resolved the stalemate on revenue sharing formula yesterday,” Oparanya said.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary has assured that County Governments will receive a total of Sh60 billion by Monday morning.
CoG had directed all county employees to proceed on a fourteen-day leave with non-essential services suspended forthwith over budgetary constraints.
Senators unanimously voted in support of the third basis formula for funds allocation on Thursday, after 10 failed attempts.
41 legislators voted, with no one opposing the formula which was earlier agreed to by the 12-member committee formed to resolve the standoff.
“The results are as follows, abstentions zero, nays zero, eyes 41. The eyes have it,” House Speaker Ken Lusaka announced after the voting process.
In the formula that will now be used to disburse Sh316.5 billion to the counties, no county will receive money less than what they received in the year 2019-2020 financial year.
The newly passed formula takes into account eight parameters including Basic share at 20 per cent, Population 18 per cent, Health 17 per cent, Poverty Level 14 per cent, Agriculture ,10 per cent, Roads 8 per cent, Land 8 percent and Urban 5 percent.
