• This government belongs to shareholders and I meant more resources for our people who gave President Ruto 47%of the votes, Gachagua said.
• We must use those votes to ask for what is rightfully ours.
Image: DPPS
President William Ruto defied his brigade and wisest advisers and chose Rigathi Gachagua as his deputy because of his undoubted "loyalty".
Undoubtedly?
Gachagua now has said the demand for more allocation of resources and government positions to Mt Kenya region will continue, despite jitters from certain quarters.
Gachagua on Sunday said Mt Kenya gave President William Ruto 47 per cent of the total votes that made him President. Thus, the region unashamedly deserves more benefits from the Kenya Kwanza government.
He said the region had already received 10 Cabinet secretary positions, 14 PS posts, another 10 CAS positions and many other top-ranking parastatal jobs.
“I said this government belongs to shareholders and by that I meant more resources for our people who gave President William Ruto 47 per cent of the votes. These votes we must use to ask for what is rightfully ours, the Deputy President said.
Gachagua also said plans are at an advanced stage to review the revenue distribution formula to make population the main parameter in allocation of the national resources. He said parliamentarians had already been instructed to draft a law to that effect.
“We have urged our parliamentarians to start drafting one-man-one-vote-one-shilling law so government resources can be allocated as per population
Due to grievances Mt Kenya region has been getting a raw deal in terms of resources and representation, parliamentarians from the vote-rich region have been calling for equitable distribution of revenue through the “one man-one vote-one shilling allocation.
Among others, Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro and his Gatundu South counterpart Gabriel Kagombe urged fairer allocation of resources to revive stalled development projects.
They were addressing thousands of people at Thika Stadium in Kiambu county during celebrations to mark Kikuyu gospel star Muigai Wa Njoroge’s 25 years in the music industry.
“We want to share the government resources as per the population we have and with regard to how we pay taxes. We want to revive all our stuck projects including roads, which we so much need to take us to the next level,” Nyoro said.
“It is not possible that we get so little from the taxes that we pay. One-man-one-vote-one-shilling law must be enshrined in the Constitution for fairness,” Kagombe sai.
Insisting that the region has been producing over 30 per cent of the national revenue, the MPs insisted that allocation of resources should henceforth be based on population.
To actualise the push, Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba has begun the process of seeking to amend the law to provide a baseline population quotient and use it as the basis for distribution of funds through the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NGCDF).
The move, Wamuchomba says will ensure that all constituencies have a fairly equal or similar population and where population in a constituency exceeds the baseline figure, more wards ought to be added to it.
“This will ensure equal representation and fair distribution of resources, especially for highly populated constituencies,” Wamuchomba argued in a letter to the National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula and which sought to have Parliament’s legal department help draft the Bill.
With the backing of all Mt Kenya leaders, the proposal is likely to be made a law but is expected to raise jitters among parliamentarians whose constituencies have very few constituents. They have been receiving equal share of thee NGCDF kitty with their counterparts such as Ruiru that enjoys a population of more than 500,000 residents.
Other MPs who have supported Wamuchomba’s push for amendment of law are Simon King’ara of Ruiru who insist that such a milestone will go a long way in ensuring equity.
As an illustration of his heavy load, King’ara noted with concern that over 70,000 residents had applied for bursary in his constituency yet his allocation is similar to MPs who give bursaries to fewer than 5,000 people.
With his little allocation, King’ara regretted that such funds are not enough to cater for the increasing number of needy students in his constituency owing to the harsh economic times most families were facing due to drought, erratic rains and the high cost of living.
“Githurai has, for instance, been hectic to give out bursary forms. The place is heavily populated and with the little I get as allocation, it becomes difficult to share," he said.
"It is time we pursue equity in distribution of resources based on the population. My people, in their big numbers, pay taxes but the return to their efforts is too little,” King’ara said.
Gatundu North MP Elijah Njoroge Kururia described it as unfair to give Ruiru constituency Sh40 million or so for bursary and allocate a similar amount to a constituency in Northeastern that enjoys an incomparable population.
“It’s funny that Ruiru is treated similar to some constituencies in Northeastern with fewer than 5,000 residents. Where is equity and how is King’ara supposed to educate children in his area?” Kururia asked.
Kiambu, Murang’a, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Nyandarua, Laikipia, Meru, Embu and Tharaka Nithi are some of the populous counties in Mt Kenya, whose leaders have been complaining that they get inadequate resources.
Under the current revenue sharing formula, population covers 45 per cent, basic equal share (25 per cent), poverty (20 per cent), land area (eight per cent) and fiscal responsibility (two per cent). Mt Kenya politicians insist leaves the heavily populated counties with little cash for development.
(Edited by V. Graham)