Kenyan Governors Threaten to Shut Down Counties over Revenue Dispute

Governors have threatened to paralyze all county government operations if the current standoff in revenue division is not resolved within the next two weeks.

Council of Governors Chairperson Wycliffe Oparanya said devolved units are cash-strapped and will have no option but to shut down from September 16th if the ongoing stalemate over the Division of Revenue Bill 2019 persists.

“The County Governments will not be able to pay salaries at the end of this month going forward. Beyond, the 16th of September 2019, if the matter is not resolved the County Governments will have no option but to shut down,” Oparanya said in a statement sent to newsrooms.

The Senate and the National Assembly have disagreed over the amount of money that should be allocated to the 47 counties.

The National Assembly maintains Sh316.5 billion should be disbursed to counties while the Senate holds on Sh335.6 billion.

A mediation committee made of representatives of both houses of Parliament is trying to resolve the impasse.

Last week, President Kenyatta urged Governors to accept the amount proposed by the National Assembly, arguing that the government has limited resources and cannot afford to allocate any additional revenue to counties.