Through the Deputy Governors’ Forum, the deputy county chiefs proposed that Sh600 billion be allocated to county governments in the 2025/26 fiscal year.
Deputy Governors’ Forum Whip, Francis Mwangangi, said that devolution has been hindered by the lack of sufficient resources to adequately fund devolved units.
Speaking during a public participation forum on the Finance Bill 2025, held at Machakos University on May 13, 2025, Mwangangi said the issue of shareable revenue is yet to be properly addressed.
“To ensure development across the country, it's clear from the people that the national government must adhere to the constitutional requirement that 15 per cent of national revenue should go to counties to enhance devolution,” Mwangangi said.
“The Finance Bill, 2025 must prioritise injecting more money into key sectors of the economy with a huge potential for creating opportunities that will improve the lives of Kenyans.”
The public participation forum was convened by a local vernacular radio station as a way of sensitising Kenyans about the Finance Bill 2025, which is currently under consideration in Parliament.
“It’s important to note that citizens are not rejecting the Finance Bill — they are only concerned about the services their taxes will deliver,” Mwangangi added.
He also called for accountability at both levels of government to ensure that resources allocated are used as intended and that corruption is curbed.
“Leadership at the national level must be accountable to the Kenyan people and enhance mechanisms to fight corruption and restore confidence in public institutions,” he said.
Mwangangi, who is also the Deputy Governor of Machakos County, called for the allocation of resources in the 2025/26 financial year to sectors that can spur economic growth as a way to fight poverty.
“Therefore, with a proposed budget of over Sh4
trillion, in the spirit of devolution, county allocations should be
approximately Sh600 billion or more to realise the true transformation
envisioned by the architects of the 2010 Constitution.”
In the 2025/26 financial year, county governments are projected to receive Sh405.1 billion as an equitable share of national revenue, while the national government’s allocation is set at Sh2.419 trillion.
This represents an increase of Sh17.6 billion compared to the previous year. Additionally, Sh69.8 billion has been earmarked for conditional and additional allocations to counties.
The government projects a total shareable revenue of Sh2.835 trillion for the 2025/26 fiscal year.
The Constitution of Kenya (2010) provides the legal framework for allocating revenue to county governments. Specifically, Article 203 mandates that at least 15 per cent of the revenue collected by the national government be allocated to counties as an equitable share.
This allocation is based on the most recent audited revenue accounts approved by the National Assembly, and is determined annually through the County Allocation of Revenue Bill.
