Devolution Is Under Threat

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The eight-year-old devolved system of governance is facing the most dangerous threat ever due to failure by the Senate to agree on a revenue sharing formula.
According to Governor Ndiritu Muriithi, the senate has failed Kenyans by not agreeing on county revenue allocation formula. This should have been concluded that ought in April but it has not five months later.
The disagreement could be a ploy to kill devolution which has arguably brought significant transformation to communities since its inception in 2013. The initial devolution was killed in 1968 after it was denied resources.
By then regions were denied resources which resulted to workers in regional governments, like doctors and teachers, to frequently be on strike. The senate had to be abolished. The same scenario is unfolding today, the county boss said.
This time round the senate is denying counties their rightful resources which has halted normal running of the devolved functions. This, according to the governor, is a sign that senate or senators do not want devolution
Senators are either unable or unwilling to facilitate resources to counties. They are forgetting that it is not a favour they do, but it is their mandate according to the constitution, the governor said.
The fight that has been going on in the senate regarding the sharing formula of resources to counties has greatly affected counties ability to fight the virus, which shows inhuman nature of the senate.
If you turn off the flow of funds during a time of crises like covid, one can only conclude that you want the crises to rise to unmanageable levels and the country to go up in flames.
He noted that the fight to dissolve devolution at this time will not be accepted and called for Kenyans of goodwill to stand against the games senators are playing.
Governor Muriithi also demonstrated how other institutions feel threatened by devolution as they deem it a threat to resources they control.
He wondered why budget allocation in the Ministry of Health is increasing despite Health being a devolved unit.
Another area of concern is Kemsa which has a responsibility of selling drugs and other medical equipment has been monopolized, yet does not have all counties needs. Buying elsewhere resources that Kemsa does not have calls attracts queries from various oversight bodies.
In Kenya senate is mandated to protect devotion. Its roles include ensuring services reach people in the grassroots level by holding respective governors responsible.
The Senate consists of 47 members directly elected by their counties, 16 women nominated by the political parties according to their relative strength in the Senate elections, two members to represent the youth, and two members to represent persons with disabilities.
The house determines the allocation of national revenue among counties, as provided in Article 217, and exercises oversight over national revenue allocated to the county governments.

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