Kiambu Woman Representative Ann Muratha has advocated for the establishment of a committee of experts to review the revenue allocation to counties. While she is not outright opposed to the “one-man-one-vote-one-shilling” proposal, she expressed concerns about its suitability for the country.
Muratha pointed out that if adopted, the proposal would lead to an uneven distribution of funds, with certain counties receiving disproportionately large amounts of money. Specifically, she noted that counties such as Kiambu, Nairobi, and Kisumu would receive the lion’s share of the sharable revenue from the Treasury, potentially disadvantaging other regions.
“This means that people who come from regions with fewer people will feel bad when they do not get a lot of money for bursaries and other services,” she said.
The legilstor was speaking at Ndumberi stadium on Wednesday while distributing bursary cheques from the National Government Affirmative Fund (NGAF).
“Some regions might get a lot of money and develop so much while others might end up stagnating for a long time,” she added.
Muratha urged President William Ruto to engage a team of economic experts to guide the government on revenue allocation to ensure uniformity in development. She also appealed to leaders in the Mt. Kenya region to thoroughly analyze the “one-man-one-vote-one-shilling” concept before advocating for it.
Her proposal comes as some Mt. Kenya leaders push for this revenue allocation formula for devolved units. Muratha highlighted that some regions in Mt. Kenya might not benefit significantly due to their population dynamics.
She warned, “We have regions with a lower population. We might campaign for something that we will start crying foul about after several years. Let us be well-guided.”
Muratha also urged leaders to conduct thorough research on the issue to avoid placing the country in a difficult position. Additionally, she emphasized that Mt. Kenya leaders should focus on serving residents, noting that excessive succession politics were confusing locals who seek effective governance.
