End counties’ funds feuds

Just slightly over 10 years into devolution, there are still some serious challenges over the funding of the 47 counties. The Senate, which has the constitutional financial oversight over the devolved units, has often run into obstacles erected by the National Assembly.

The ink has not dried on the feud on the Sh20 billion difference between the Senate's Sh400 share of equitable revenue recommendation and Parliament's Sh380 billion. But a decision was eventually reached by a joint mediation committee for Sh387 billion, which should ease the counties’ financial headaches.

However a new impasse has emerged and it still boils down to the continuing needless supremacy fight between the two Houses of Parliament. The counties have been credited with enabling a substantial transfer of resources from the centre to the grassroots to spur countrywide development. This is why they should be assisted and not derailed or blocked from achieving their targets.

Slash the funds

An allocation of Sh61 billion to the counties now hangs in the balance in this new tug of war between the governors and the MPs. The stalemate is over a plot to slash the funds, which are mainly conditional grants. The MPs want these reduced by Sh15 billion, again trying to overturn the Senate’s Sh61 billion approval.

The Council of Governors (CoG) has challenged a move to deny the counties the proceeds of the Road Maintenance Levy Funds amounting to Sh10.5 billion. The MPs have also reduced other allocations and scrapped a Sh523 million support for the construction of five county headquarters.

Senators have thrown their weight behind the governors in challenging the reduction of allocations, including funds for the payment of community health promoters, and the construction of the county aggregation and industrial parks that are expected to boost revenue and create more jobs for youth. It is important that these standoffs be quickly resolved to ease operations in the counties.