Devolution under siege, claims governors

The standoff over county revenue sharing formula could be a well-calculated ploy to kill devolution, governors now claim.

The county chiefs say the divisive debate on how devolved funds ought to be shared among the 47 counties is a strategy by some individuals hellbent on defeating devolution by frustrating counties.

Wycliffe Oparanya, the Council of Governors (CoG) chairman said there are deliberate efforts to push counties to the brink by starving them of cash.

"Counties are walking a tight rope because they have not received any funds for July and August, workers have not been paid and other critical activities have stalled. Counties have experienced similar challenges every year, with both National Treasury and the Senate always holding them to ransom," Oparanya said.

He was speaking when he visited Kaburengu junction where eight people were killed in a road accident and many others injured on Monday.

The Kakamega governor said contrary to a Supreme Court determination that counties could get at least 50 per cent of the annual allocation pending consensus on agreeable formula, nothing had been disbursed to cushion the devolved units from financial difficulties. 

He said counties were being starved of funds yet they were closer to the people.