Cord wants 45pc Budget allocation to counties in Bill

Counties will get 45 per cent of the national revenue allocation if the first amendments to the 2010 Constitution go through in the planned referendum.

The draft Bill that is being spearheaded by the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) seeks to change article 203 of the Constitution by deleting the word “fifteen” and substituting it with “forty-five”, hence increasing the county allocation.

Currently, the Constitution provides 15 per cent of the audited revenue to the devolved units in what a section of the political leadership argue it is too minimal to impact on development projects.

“Forty-five per cent of the monies are to be allocated to the counties to enable them carry out the functions that are commensurate with the allocation,” reads the Bill that Cord launched in Nairobi on Thursday.

The Bill also proposes a new article 204A to establish Ward Development Fund to be used in facilitating projects in the counties.

The new article would require five per cent of the equitable revenue allocated to counties to be paid into Ward Development Fund to implementing public projects.

The Bill also seeks creation of another clause that would see part of the amount of money allocated to the national government transferred to the counties under the Constituency Development Fund.

The insertion of article 206A would see the revenue allocated to the central government in annual budget fund approved projects are under the national government.

Governors have been pushing for increased funding from the national government and they have been planning to collect a million signatures for a separate referendum to allow for the amendment of the Constitution.

The governors are pushing for the change in law to increase the allocation from the current 15 per cent to 40 per cent by amending article 203. They are also seeking control of all devolved funds, including women and youth cash, currently controlled by MPs.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, Deputy President William Ruto and some MPs have pointed out before that an increased allocation to counties could be done through an Act of Parliament.

The initiative is spearheaded by the Cord chiefs Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka, Moses Wetang’ula and other Opposition leaders through their Okoa Kenya drive, after gathering the required one million signatures.