- “The fact that I am Deputy President does not extinguish my right as a Kenyan, as per the Constitution to have an opinion.”
- Gachagua further said leaders whose opinions are different from his stand are within their rights as Kenyans.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has told off leaders who have been calling him a tribalist over his push for one man, one vote, one shilling revenue-sharing formula. https://shorturl.at/WdnX5
Image: RIGATHI GACHAGUA/X
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has told off leaders who have been calling him a tribalist over his push for one man, one vote, one shilling revenue-sharing formula.
Speaking in Samburu during a fundraiser for women's groups in the county, Gachagua said his stand on the revenue-sharing formula is just an opinion which cannot be forced on Kenyans.
“The fact that I am Deputy President does not extinguish my right as a Kenyan, as per the Constitution to have an opinion. That opinion is not a command, allow me to persuade you that this formula can work,” he said.
Gachagua further said leaders whose opinions are different from his stand are within their rights as Kenyans.
“Some leaders are calling me a tribalist probably because the opinion I give seems to be liked by the people from the region where I come from,” he stated.
Gachagua wondered why he had faced criticism yet other leaders have sided with him.
“Raila Odinga has said the same things I said and I have not heard him being called a tribalist. Eugene Wamalwa has said the same and he has not been called a tribalist. Theirs are also opinions and it is not a must that they must be supported,” the DP added.
Gachagua moved to clarify that the one man, one vote, one shilling revenue-sharing 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,” he said.
He said areas that have been marginalised should be considered by the Equalisation Fund to catch up with the rest of the regions.
On Thursday, Azimio leader Raila Odinga waded into the controversy surrounding the push for one man, one vote, one shilling revenue-sharing formula, stating it is the right way to go.
Insisting that he is not a populist and that he is embracing the debate with an open mind, Raila said the country should have the conversation.
“I want to agree with the phrase one man one vote one shilling. I agree with this,” Raila told a media briefing on Thursday.
However, according to leaders from the North Eastern region, the one-man one-shilling would lead to further marginalisation of their communities.
A section of Meru leaders have also distanced themselves from the revenue-sharing formula.
MPs from the region insisted that the formula propagated by the Deputy President would lead to the marginalisation of some counties.
Politicians from the Mt Kenya region have been rooting for the distribution of revenue through the 'one man-one vote-one shilling allocation'.
They have been insisting that the allocation of resources should be based on population.
Kiambu, Murang’a, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Nyandarua, Laikipia, Meru, Embu and Tharaka Nithi are some of the heavily populated counties.
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) which Mt Kenya politicians insist leaves the heavily-populated counties with little cash for development.