“We should not rely on the poverty index because everyone in Kenya is poor anyway,” added the Malava MP.
“And if you allocate revenue based on land size then you are missing the point. We are opposed to the new formula and we are going to put up a fight on the floor of the house.”
Garsen MP Danston Mugatana however said he is happy with the formula, as it has taken into account the interests of the marginalized, which he added had been ignored earlier.
At Sh10.1 billion, Nairobi County, however, still gets the lion’s share of the total revenue allocation.
The higher influence of the poverty index in the division of the funds has thrust Turkana County as the region with the second highest allocation (Sh8.2 billion). Others are Mandera (Sh6.9 billion), Kakamega (Sh6.9 billion), Bungoma (Sh6.6 billion) and Nakuru (Sh6.3 billion).
Initially, Nairobi, with a population of 3.1 million, had been allocated Sh11.7 billion. With a population of 1.6 million Kakamega had been allocated Sh7.3 billion.
Bungoma could have been allocated Sh7.2 billion based on previous calculations while Kiambu and Nakuru had Sh6.5 billion and Sh6.9 billion respectively.
The initial formula would have seen the five highly populated counties consume at least 20 per cent of the total allocations.
Little allocations
Initially, counties with fewer populations had little allocations like Lamu (Sh1.4 billion), Isiolo (Sh1.9 billion), Samburu (Sh2.2 billion), Taita Taveta (Sh2.34 billion) and Tharaka Nithi (Sh2.35 billion) get the lowest.
But in the revised formula Lamu, with a population of 101,539, is set to receive Sh1.6 billion and Isiolo, with a population of 143,294, Sh2.3 billion.
Tharaka Nithi (365,330 people) would get Sh2.4 billion while Elgeyo Marakwet (369,998) has Sh2.5 billion. And Taita-Taveta with a population of 284,657 closes the last five with an allocation of Sh2.58 billion
