UPDATE: The Senate passed the Third Basis Formula for Revenue Allocation as presented by the Special Committee on Thursday evening.
"The motion for approval of the Third Basis Formula for Revenue Allocation among County Governments has be carried. The Ayes 41 Abstention 0 Nays 0," Speaker Justin Muturi announced.
The House had cancelled all its afternoon business to allow the committee to present the formula for approval.
Senate Speaker Kenneth Lusaka, on Thursday, September 17, announced that the 12-member Senate mediation committee selected to find a commonground in the county revenue sharing formula impasse, had finally reached a consensus.
The formula will now move on to the Senate plenary in the afternoon for debate and possible adoption.
Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen, a member of the committee, was one of the first to laud his colleagues for the achievement.
"We, the undersigned Members of the Committee established to consider the matter of the Third Basis for allocating among the counties, the share of national revenue, do hereby append our signatures to adopt the Report," reads an excerpt from the resolution.
Following the announcement, the Senate Business Committee (SBC) initiated the publication of a supplementary order paper for the special sitting to take into account the committee’s report.
The committee is expected to articulate how the Ksh366.5 billion will be shared out in the next financial year.
If adopted, the curtains will finally close on the longest running issue in the Senate, that had threatened to split the House.
The Third revenues sharing formula has been at the heart of all Senate debates since July 2020, leaving the 47 counties crippled due to lack of funding.
On Wednesday, September 16, the Council of Governors (CoG) announced a partial shutdown of the counties, stating that they were no longer capable of running the counties, and blamed their colleagues at the Senate for the delays.
President Uhuru Kenyatta had to intervene on the same issue by convening a meeting at State House on Monday. He went on to pledge to add Ksh50 billion to counties in the next financial year.
