Oparanya makes case for increase of County funds to KSh348bn as stalemate persists

The Council of Governors chairman – Wycliffe Oparanya – is rooting for the adoption of an amendment on the revenue formula that seeks to increase funding to counties to KSh348 billion from the current KSh316 billion shareable revenue.



The Kakamega Governor made the remarks, Sunday, ahead of the Senate’s special sitting on Monday that seeks, for the record ninth time, to try to broker a truce on the elusive formula that has split the House down the middle.



The proposal, which was drafted by Nominated Senator Petronila Were, and subsequently approved by the Senate Business Committee last week will be debated by the Senators.



“I support this proposal because more money going to counties should be supported,” he said while emphasizing that no county will lose any funds and those that would have been poised to lose will be cushioned.



Oparanya said the prolonged stalemate risks plunging counties into a financial crisis punctuated by stalling of developmental projects and salary delays because counties are yet to be allocated their share of July and August monies.



“This impasse of money not going to counties has been happening annually since devolution started. There is no particular year that counties have moved from one financial year to the other seamlessly and I think this is an area the lawmakers should look into,” he said.



While the CoG stand on the matter has not been formally registered, Oparanya exuded confidence that his colleagues will back Were’s proposal when they sit.



In the amendment, Senator Were wants the status quo to remain and only be applied when the equitable shareable revenue is raised to Sh348 billion, a proposal deemed fit by Oparanya who argued that this way counties will not be in limbo.



He however, urged the Senate to use the existing formula to allocate if the deadlock on the current revenue formula persists.



“It is unfortunate that county employees will see their colleagues in the national government being paid and them they are not because their salaries keep on delaying every other month,” he said.



Were’s motion brings to eight the number of amendments on the floor of the House on the revenue formula debate with more Senators threatening to bring further amendments if the stand-off persists.



Senate Majority Chief Whip Irungu Kanga’ata has been lobbying for the amendment’s approval terming it a win-win formula that would see no devolved unit lose money.



Intense lobbying for the county billions has been going on ahead of Monday’s crucial sitting even as the two opposing factions maintain their hardline positions with fears that another adjournment is on the offing.



Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen and his Nairobi counterpart Johnson Sakaja are leading a team of Senators christened Team Kenya in drumming up support for their proposals that seek to ensure that no county loses.