This archive report was first published on 7 August 2020.
On August 7, 2020, Kenya's Senate was on the cusp of a breakthrough in the long-standing debate over revenue sharing among counties. Senators Johnson Sakaja (Nairobi) and Mithika Linturi (Meru) announced plans to merge their revenue formula proposals in a bid to secure broad-based support for a win-win revenue sharing matrix.
Following consultations among senators under the 'Kenya Moja' axis, Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen announced consensus to modify Sakaja's amendments. The group, comprising Senators Mutula Kilonzo (Makueni) and Ledama ole Kina (Narok), had endorsed further amendments sponsored by Linturi and approved them for a merger.
According to Murkomen, the merged proposal would retain the parameters contained in Sakaja's original amendment but lower the amount shared to counties using the existing resolution. The amount shared to counties would range between Sh250 billion and Sh270 billion, with the exact amount to be agreed upon once negotiations were completed.
Under the new proposal, the balance from the available Sh316 billion shareable revenue would be distributed among counties based on an amendment tabled by Sakaja in the Senate. Murkomen expressed confidence that the proposed solution would bring an end to the prolonged debate on sharing of revenue among counties.
