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Governors set terms to drop campaign
COUNTY CASH ROW | You are lying to Kenyans on the cash-sharing formula, Raila tells Uhuru and Ruto
Governors will abandon the Pesa Mashinani campaign if Parliament passes a law guaranteeing counties more cash, chairman Isaac Ruto said yesterday. Mr Ruto said the Council of Governors would draft a Bill to be ratified by all county assemblies and send to Parliament for enactment into law. The Bomet governor said if such a Bill were drafted at the national level, it would not capture the aspirations of the county leaders. “We cannot allow Nairobi to make that Bill for funds, we know they will cook the same to suit their whims. What we want is a homegrown Bill from the Council of Governors and approved by all (county) assemblies to be taken to Parliament and later assented to by the President guaranteeing more funds will be allocated to county governments as a matter of course not at the whims of an individual,” he said.
Speaking at Njoro’s Mauche area, Mr Ruto said the push for more funds was geared towards better services for all Kenyans and had no link with Cord’s referendum agenda. Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya said the Pesa Mashinani campaign was not about parties but a plea to compel the government to abide by the decision of the Commission on Revenue Allocation that recommended Sh274 billion for counties only for the government to release Sh226 billion. “As chairman of the CoG, Ruto should not be crucified as an individual because he is representing a resolution made by 47 governors. He is suffering for all the 47 and he has no other agenda.
All counties have similar problems — that is shortage of funds. If this money is given, then we will stop the referendum push. Our push is not about individuals but funds. It is different from Cord’s,” he said. Devolved functions And speaking later in Busia, the two governors criticised the formula used to allocate money to counties. “We are not asking for any money from other departments but rather money that should serve devolved functions.
There is Sh120 billion that is lying in other areas that we need them to allocate to us. Sh17 billion has been allocated to health for deworming children and we feel this is a lot of funds. Sh24.5 billion to build water reservoirs instead of providing piped water to residents,” Mr Ruto said. “These monies are meant to serve the departments that the Constitution devolved to the counties. The 45 per cent we are asking for is from the 2013/2014 financial year and yet the 43 per cent allocation that they claim is from the 2008/2009 financial year.
There is no need to increase taxes for them to increase funds. This is money that is readily available only that the national government has refused to give us,” he added. Mr Oparanya said all governors were behind the campaign, though some had been forced to skip their meetings due to political pressure from party leaders.
Governors will abandon the Pesa Mashinani campaign if Parliament passes a law guaranteeing counties more cash, chairman Isaac Ruto said yesterday. Mr Ruto said the Council of Governors would draft a Bill to be ratified by all county assemblies and send to Parliament for enactment into law. The Bomet governor said if such a Bill were drafted at the national level, it would not capture the aspirations of the county leaders. “We cannot allow Nairobi to make that Bill for funds, we know they will cook the same to suit their whims. What we want is a homegrown Bill from the Council of Governors and approved by all (county) assemblies to be taken to Parliament and later assented to by the President guaranteeing more funds will be allocated to county governments as a matter of course not at the whims of an individual,” he said.
Speaking at Njoro’s Mauche area, Mr Ruto said the push for more funds was geared towards better services for all Kenyans and had no link with Cord’s referendum agenda. Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya said the Pesa Mashinani campaign was not about parties but a plea to compel the government to abide by the decision of the Commission on Revenue Allocation that recommended Sh274 billion for counties only for the government to release Sh226 billion. “As chairman of the CoG, Ruto should not be crucified as an individual because he is representing a resolution made by 47 governors. He is suffering for all the 47 and he has no other agenda.
All counties have similar problems — that is shortage of funds. If this money is given, then we will stop the referendum push. Our push is not about individuals but funds. It is different from Cord’s,” he said. Devolved functions And speaking later in Busia, the two governors criticised the formula used to allocate money to counties. “We are not asking for any money from other departments but rather money that should serve devolved functions.
There is Sh120 billion that is lying in other areas that we need them to allocate to us. Sh17 billion has been allocated to health for deworming children and we feel this is a lot of funds. Sh24.5 billion to build water reservoirs instead of providing piped water to residents,” Mr Ruto said. “These monies are meant to serve the departments that the Constitution devolved to the counties. The 45 per cent we are asking for is from the 2013/2014 financial year and yet the 43 per cent allocation that they claim is from the 2008/2009 financial year.
There is no need to increase taxes for them to increase funds. This is money that is readily available only that the national government has refused to give us,” he added. Mr Oparanya said all governors were behind the campaign, though some had been forced to skip their meetings due to political pressure from party leaders.
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