Counties

How counties will share the equalisation billions

nanok

Joseph Nanok's Turkana County has been allocated the lion's share of the Equalisation Fund amounting to Sh788.7 million in the financial year starting July 1. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Turkana tops the list of 34 counties that are set to share Sh6.8 billion meant to uplift the level of services in marginalised areas.

Turkana County has been allocated the lion's share of the Equalisation Fund amounting to Sh788.7 million in the financial year starting July 1.

Its neighbouring county, West Pokot comes in second with an allocation of Sh704.3 million, Narok (Sh531.9 million), Mandera (Sh519.4 million) while Samburu closes the list of top five beneficiaries with Sh447 million.

On the other hand, the Murang’a will receive the least allocation of Sh3.9 million followed by Nakuru (Sh4.4 million), Trans Nzoia (Sh5.2 million), Machakos (Sh8.9 million) and Taita Taveta (Sh9.2 million).

Twelve counties, Nairobi, Kiambu, Mombasa, Kakamega, Embu, Kirinyaga, Kisii, Makueni, Nyeri, Nyandarua, Vihiga, Nyamira and Uasin Gishu missed out on Equlisation Fund billions.

Initially, the Equalisation Fund was meant to be used for the provision of basic services, including water, roads, health facilities and electricity in the four counties considered marginalised.

Beneficiaries of the fund are Turkana, Lamu, Mandera, Wajir, Marsabit, Samburu, West Pokot, Tana River, Narok, Kwale, Garissa, Kilifi, Taita Taveta and Isiolo.

The fund has since been expanded to cover areas considered marginalised in the 34 benefiting counties in the 2022/23 financial year.

Equalisation Fund made its first disbursement two years ago after its creation in 2012 due to the failure of the Treasury and MPs to agree on the model for the fund in line with the Public Finance Management Act.

The undisbursed funds stood at Sh28.3 billion as at January 2019. During the financial year 2019/2020, Counties received a total of Sh5.76 billion as allocation to the Equalisation Fund in line with Article 204 of the Constitution.

In the current financial year 2021/22, the counties received a total of Sh6.62 billion and are due to share Sh6.85 billion in 2022/23, bringing the total amount to Sh13.48 billion.

The Equalisation Fund runs for 20 years from August 2010 when the Constitution was promulgated.

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