President William Ruto signs into law Bill unlocking more funds to counties
President William Ruto assents to the County Governments Additional Allocations (Conditional Grants) law at State House on December 12, 2022. Present were: Right to left: Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula, Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot and Clerk to the Senate, Jeremiah Nyegenye.
President William Ruto has signed the County Governments Additional Allocations, 2022, into law.
The Bill, sponsored by Mandera Senator Ali Ibrahim Roba, provides the legal framework for the allocation of additional revenue to counties and seeks to unlock over Sh43.8 billion in additional funds to the devolved units.
The funds will come from either proceeds of loans or grants from development partners or from the national government revenue share.
Speaker of the Senate Amason Kingi witnessed the signing of Bill into law, given that it is a legislation of the Senate.
President William Ruto (right) and Senate Speaker Amason Kingi during the signing of the County Governments Additional Allocations Bill, 2022, into law at State House Nairobi on December 12,2022
Also present were the National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Attorney General Justin Muturi, Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot and Clerk to the Senate Jeremiah Nyegenye.
The development is bound to elicit a sigh of relief from the 47 counties, as it unlocks billions of shillings that could not be released to the devolved units until the law was passed.
The County Governments Additional Allocation Bill, 2022, will see the National Treasury release the funds due to counties, and which had been held after a court ruling quashed the lumping, in one kitty, of funds from the Exchequer with those of development partners to the counties.
The additional allocations will take more funds to the grassroots, help to revive stalled development projects and ensure development reaches every part of the country.
The monies in question are meant for the provision of assorted medical equipment to select county hospitals, improvement of rural agriculture amid the ravaging effects of climate change, as well as funds for locust response, and improving housing in informal settlements.
