Senate's revenue sharing talks at risk of collapse as Senator Kipchumba Murkomen forms parallel negotiations team

Senate's revenue sharing talks at risk of collapse as Murkomen forms parallel team

Tony Mukere

August 7, 2020 2:00 PM

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The Senate has suffered a major blow in its bid to have a common ground in creation of a new revenue sharing formula that will be debated and possibly passed next Tuesday.

Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen on Friday threw a spanner in the works after he announced the formation of a two-member team that will negotiate and come up with a new formula to be tabled before the House by Monday.

The team proposed by the former Majority Leader will include Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja and his Meru counterpart Mithika Linturi.

"Towards finding a final solution, we have mandated Sen. Sakaja to work with Sen. Linturi to ensure that they burn the midnight oil and give us the final document on or before Monday, 10th August, 2020. Both Senators will agree on how to co-sponsor the approved version.

"We believe that the proposed solution(s) will bring to an end the prolonged debate on this matter and that on Tuesday, 11th August, 2020 the Senate will pass the final version unanimously," a press statement issued by Murkomen read in part.

The new team, which is said to have the support of at least 30 Senators, has now created a split as it will work with a parallel 10-member committee formed by the Senate which sought to bring the two sides of the divide by Monday.

The Senate's committee included five members from the team championing the one man one shilling formula and another five from the marginalized counties that have pushed for poverty and land mass to have an integral role in determining county revenue shared.

The team will be holding talks in Naivasha over the weekend with the aim of having an agreeable formula by Monday.

The Senate committee is expected to address a press conference later on Friday to respond to Murkomen's statement.

Tony Mukere