• NA Speaker Muturi last week sent the Bill allocating counties Sh316.5 billion to the Senate for concurrence.
• This comes as county workers issues week-long strike notice in protest of delayed July salaries.
Image: FILE
There is no end in sight to the cash crisis in counties after the Senate amended the Division of Revenue Bill to increase the shareable revenue to Sh335 billion.
Senators on Wednesday also struck out Sh6.2 billion that the National Assembly had allocated as conditional grants to service the managed medical equipment leased to the counties.
National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi had last week sent the Bill allocating counties Sh316.5 billion to the Senate for concurrence.
Senators amended the Bill only days after their colleagues in the National Assembly threw out their version.
Wednesday's development will worsen the cash problem in the counties whose employees have already issued a one-week strike notice over the July salary delays.
Counties have been pushed to the wall following the supremacy battles that have delayed the passage of the crucial bill.
Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka will now send the amended Bill back to the National Assembly thus trigger the formation of mediation team to agree on a figure.
However, the situation might further worsen considering the two houses will on Thursday break for a month-long recess.
While moving the Bill on the floor on Wednesday, Senate Finance committee chairman Mohamed Mahamoud also increased the conditional grants for water tower protection and climate change mitigation and adaptation programme (WaTER) from Sh495 million proposed by National Assembly to Sh880 million.
“This country has been held hostage by the National Assembly. This bill will not go anywhere without the concurrence of the two houses,” Mahamoud said.
Adding, “Our sister House should respect the Constitution. The money belongs to Kenyans and should be shared between the national and county governments."
Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula criticised Muturi’s move to strike out the Bill, terming it ‘juvenile disorder'.
“When you are stepped on, belittled, besmirched and abused, you simply say thank you and walk away. That is not an act of fairness,” Wetangula said.
“National government has no money to give to anybody. How on earth can you pass the Appropriation Bill without Division of the Revenue Bill? We must stand and speak with one voice and stand our ground on the Sh335billion.”
His Uasin Gishu counterpart Margaret Kamar said the Sh335 billion was arrived at through a scientific formula.
She said even though both agriculture and health are 90 per cent devolved, the budgetary allocation of 10 per cent and 15 per cent respectively has never been realised.
“Nobody is donating the money to the other. The national government is not donating money to the counties. We allocate money with reasons. We depend on the Commission on Revenue Allocation to make the allocation."
Narok Senator Ledama ole Kina said the fight between National Assembly and the Senate is dividing Parliament which comprises of the two Houses.
“This house has allowed wisdom to prevail by not going to the root of the National Assembly. The fight is dividing Kenyans,” the senator said.
Edited by R.Wamochie