This archive report was first published on 21 August 2019.
August 21, 2019, marked a significant day in the division of revenue bill stalemate as pressure mounted on Majority Leader Aden Duale to relinquish his membership in the mediation team.
Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua expressed his concerns over Duale's hard-line positions, stating that his continued presence in the talks was dragging the process away from any possible solution, leading to more paralysis in the counties.
Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka, however, called for patience, assuring Kenyans of an expeditious solution to the stalemate.
According to Mutua, an urgent solution and consensus were needed to ensure normalcy resumes in the devolved units.
He urged Duale to recuse himself from the mediation process, allowing others to deal with the issue, and emphasized the importance of finding a solution soon for the sake of the country and President Uhuru Kenyatta's agenda.
Meanwhile, National Assembly representatives in the committee want the Senate to endorse the Ksh.316.5 billion proposed allocation to counties, while senators have stuck to Ksh.335.6 billion.
Duale responded to Mutua's remarks, labeling them as not genuine and accusing the governor of seeking cheap political publicity.
He also pointed out that the amount of revenue collected by counties remains minimal, despite being enabled by the Constitution to realize revenue through taxation of levies and rates.
As the stalemate continues, county workers are bearing the brunt, with some governors taking drastic measures to streamline service delivery.
