Council of Governor chairman Wycliffe Oparanya has responded to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s “no money” remark, saying governors know where the money they want is.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday declared that money allocated to counties will not be increased. He said that the government had no extra money.
Speaking during the burial of Laurine Okwach in Matungu on Friday, Oparanya said that governors know the money they are demanding is available.
The late Okwach was shot dead by former Kakamega MCA Richard Muchesia in Nairobi, who also took his own life early this month.
Oparanya, the Kakamega governor, said the national government had budgeted for devolved functions and held money meant for county governments in them.
“We don’t want the government to go and print more money to give us. If we sit down with the national government we shall be able to show them where the money we’re asking for is,” Oparanya said.
He challenged officials of the national government to enumerate key development projects the national government has initiated in counties in the last seven years to be compared with those of county governments.
Governors and senators are demanding they be given Sh335 billion, recommended by the Commission for Revenue Allocation (CRA). MPs have allocated them Sh316 billion this financial year.
Oparanya said operations in counties were grounded because of the stand-off between the Senate and the National Assembly.
He said that governors will launch their Ugatuzi constitutional amendment initiative aimed at ending perennial misunderstandings between the two houses over revenue allocation.
Oparanya said Ugatuzi Mashinani will push for streamlined cash flow to devolved units, including raising revenue allocation to counties.
“We have agreed as governors that we must have a way out of this annual impasse over revenue allocation. We don’t want people to suffer because of supremacy battles between the Senate and the National Assembly,” he said.
He said that governors will meet today in Nairobi to map out strategies for their referendum initiative.
Pesa Mashinani was spearheaded by governors in their first term but flopped.
