Deputy Governors have urged the National Government to
allocate at least 15 per cent of national revenue to counties to ensure the
effective implementation of devolution.
Through the Deputy Governors’ Forum, the deputy county
chiefs proposed that Sh600 billion be allocated to county governments in the
2025/26 fiscal year.
Deputy Governors’ Forum Whip, Francis Mwangangi, said
that devolution has been hindered by the lack of sufficient resources to adequately
fund devolved units.
Speaking during a public participation forum on the
Finance Bill 2025, held at Machakos University on May 13, 2025, Mwangangi said
the issue of shareable revenue is yet to be properly addressed.
“To ensure development across the country, it’s clear
from the people that the national government must adhere to the constitutional
requirement that 15 per cent of national revenue should go to counties to enhance
devolution,” Mwangangi said.
“The Finance Bill, 2025 must prioritise injecting more
money into key sectors of the economy with a huge potential for creating
opportunities that will improve the lives of Kenyans.”
The public participation forum was convened by a local
vernacular radio station as a way of sensitising Kenyans about the Finance Bill
2025, which is currently under consideration in Parliament.
“It’s important to note that citizens are not
rejecting the Finance Bill — they are only concerned about the services their
taxes will deliver,” Mwangangi added.
He also called for accountability at both levels of
government to ensure that resources allocated are used as intended and that
corruption is curbed.
“Leadership at the national level must be accountable
to the Kenyan people and enhance mechanisms to fight corruption and restore
confidence in public institutions,” he said.
Mwangangi, who is also the Deputy Governor of Machakos
County, called for the allocation of resources in the 2025/26 financial year to
sectors that can spur economic growth as a way to fight poverty.
“Therefore, with a proposed budget of over Sh4
trillion, in the spirit of devolution, county allocations should be
approximately Sh600 billion or more to realise the true transformation
envisioned by the architects of the 2010 Constitution.”
In the 2025/26 financial year, county governments are
projected to receive Sh405.1 billion as an equitable share of national revenue,
while the national government’s allocation is set at Sh2.419 trillion.
This represents an increase of Sh17.6 billion compared
to the previous year. Additionally, Sh69.8 billion has been earmarked for
conditional and additional allocations to counties.
The government projects a total shareable revenue of
Sh2.835 trillion for the 2025/26 fiscal year.
The Constitution of Kenya (2010) provides the legal
framework for allocating revenue to county governments. Specifically, Article
203 mandates that at least 15 per cent of the revenue collected by the national
government be allocated to counties as an equitable share.
This allocation is based on the most recent audited
revenue accounts approved by the National Assembly, and is determined annually
through the County Allocation of Revenue Bill.
