Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has hit out at proponents of one-man, one-vote, one-shilling revenue-sharing formula accusing them of misleading Kenyans.
Kindiki said leaders pushing for the adoption of the formula do not understand its implications for the future of the country.
“Proponents of the man-vote-shilling mantra neither understand its implications for Kenya's future nor do they fathom its long-term impact on the parts of Kenya they purport will benefit from it,” he said on X.
“The cliché is neither a scientific principle nor is it an economic model of any kind.”
Kindiki said the proposed formula is not as suitable as its proponents want to make it appear.
He said the framers of the Constitution of Kenya rejected it for its potential to fuel sectional interests to the detriment of the nation as an indivisible whole.
He said in sharing national wealth, the Constitution obliges consideration of "economic disparities within and among counties and the need to remedy them", and "the need for affirmative action in respect of disadvantaged areas or groups".
“It is a mantra picked from casual banter and will fall flat when juxtaposed with the constitutional ideals and values upon which our nation is founded,” the CS said.
The CS added that every part of Kenya is entitled to prosperity but not at the expense of any other part of the country.
He said a win-win framework would be one established in Article 203 of the Constitution where the principles of equality, equity and affirmative action are balanced.
The constitutionally approved formula, he pointed out, advances national unity, cohesion and a sense of belonging to everyone who calls Kenya their homeland.
“The destiny and success of Kenya is inextricably linked to the destiny and success of each part of Kenya. One nation, one flag, one people,” he said.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Azimio leader Raila Odinga are among the leaders pushing for the adoption of the formula.
The two have insisted that the formula does not imply that areas with low populations should be denied funds.
“We are just asking for equity. All children should be equal. Those in Samburu should be equal to those in Kajiado,” Gachagua told a meeting in Samburu on Friday.
Earlier, Kibwezi West Constituency MP Mwengi Mutuse said proponents of the formula are the “loudest and appear to be cajoling all major political players to support this model".
Mutuse said population alone can’t be the only factor but can be given a higher weight in the simulation.
Under the current revenue-sharing formula, population covers 45 per cent, basic equal share (25 per cent), poverty (20 per cent), land area (8 per cent) and fiscal responsibility (2 per cent).