North Eastern MPs vow to challenge revenue formula in court
The leaders argued that population should not be the sole criterion for distributing national resources, particularly since marginalised regions have faced historical neglect since Kenya's independence.
Leaders from the North Eastern region on Monday called on the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) to abandon its newly proposed revenue-sharing formula, which prioritises population as the key basis for allocation among devolved units.
Speaking under the North Eastern Parliamentary Group (NE-PG), led by Eldas MP Adan Keynan and his Dadaab counterpart Farah Maalim, the leaders dismissed the proposal as unfair and unacceptable. They argued that basing revenue allocation solely on population discriminates against marginalised regions.
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"We will not allow such a discriminatory formula to determine resource allocation. We urge the CRA and parliamentarians to reject this proposal," said Farah Maalim.
He added that leaders from the northern region are prepared to challenge the formula in court if necessary.
The new formula is likely to spark disagreements among lawmakers, as it mirrors the "one-man-one-shilling" proposal by prioritising population. However, the leaders argued that population should not be the sole criterion for distributing national resources, particularly since marginalised regions have faced historical neglect since Kenya's independence.
The commission’s proposal assigns the population the greatest weight, at 42%, despite opposition from leaders representing less populous and marginalised counties. Under the new formula, which is set to take effect in the 2025–26 financial year if approved by Parliament, CRA has reduced the number of parameters from eight to five and adjusted their respective weights.
The leaders, alongside professionals and stakeholders from the region, made these remarks during a consultative meeting to validate the draft report on development priorities for the counties of Garissa, Wajir, and Mandera, which comprise 18 constituencies.
The meeting follows a comprehensive three-day retreat held in October in Mombasa, where the region’s key challenges and proposed interventions were discussed.
Eldas MP Adan Keynan emphasised the importance of the caucus in advocating for the completion of development initiatives, such as road projects, in the region.
"Livestock remains the region's economic backbone, but poor government policies, climate change, and related challenges have caused significant setbacks for the sector," Keynan noted.
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