This archive report was first published on 14 August 2019.
As of August 14, 2019, the stalemate between the National Assembly and the Senate over revenue allocation to counties has now crystallised into an industrial crisis that threatens to paralyse operations and services at the grassroots.
The debate over the Division of Revenue Bill has created unwarranted acrimony and is fomenting a major crisis in the counties, which now find themselves unable to function.
Devolving resources to the counties is a constitutional imperative, not a privilege. The role of Parliament is to pass laws that give authority for its execution, and in case of a dispute over the amount or process used to determine the sum to be disbursed, there are provisions for resolution.
The National Assembly has proposed that the counties be allocated Sh316 billion while the Senate seeks Sh335 billion, which is based on the last audited revenues. The difference is not that significant as to create a deadlock that is killing counties.
Ordinarily, counties grapple with serious financial deficits due to underfunding while on their own, they are unable to raise revenues to stay afloat. However, the fundamental issue is that Parliament is undermining devolution by failing to approve resources meant for counties.
It is imperative that the two chambers reason and end the crisis. The difference can be bridged through honest and amicable discussion, not chest-thumping and name-calling.
