Governors to petition Senate for independent national treasury

Governors plan to petition the Senate to push for an independent National Treasury for fair disbursement of revenue between national and county governments.

Council of Governors Finance and Economic Planning committee chairman Fernandes Barasa said the National Treasury was operating as an arm of the national government.

“National Treasury has the responsibility to ensure that money is being disbursed to counties in a timely manner. It is only through an independent Treasury we shall achieve equity in terms of disbursement of funds between the two levels of government,” he said.

Barasa who is Kakamega governor, said county heads will meet Tuesday and make resolutions on the way forward.

He said that whereas the National government is paying its staff every month timely, counties have not received funds since January.

He said the Treasury has not disbursed Sh125 billion owed to the 47 counties for the months of January, February and March. 

The governor said Kenyans in all the 47 counties were paying taxes and are entitled to development from the same taxes.

He spoke at a funeral service at Emabole village in Butere subcounty. He was accompanied by his predecessor Wycliffe Oparanya and Kakamega Woman Representative Elsie Muhanda.

Barasa said the Kenya Kwanza administration lacks seriousness on implementation of its bottom-up economic model to transform the country.

“Kenya Kwanza have told us about bottom-up but their actions suggest otherwise. There is no way you can achieve bottom-up economic transformation agenda without the National government disbursing funds to counties which belong at the bottom of the pyramid,” he said. 

He said senators were also frustrating devolution.

Barasa said refusal by senators to approve the proposal by Commission for Revenue Allocation for counties to receive Sh407 billion this financial year amount to stifling devolution. Senators last week approved Sh385 billion for counties.

He said senators should be ashamed for failing to push for more money for counties yet their primary function is to protect devolution.

“Senators must know that what goes around comes around. Many of them want to become governors yet they are blocking money for counties,” he said.

-Edited by SKanyara