Governors from Kenya’s border counties are pushing the Senate to review how national resources are distributed, arguing that frontier regions face unique challenges that are not reflected in the current revenue-sharing formula.
Speaking in Busia on Wednesday during the ongoing Senate Mashinani sittings, Governor Paul Otuoma said counties like his shoulder extra responsibilities caused by constant cross-border traffic from Uganda, yet receive the same funding as other regions.
“Frontier counties face unique challenges because of the free movement of people, which continues to put a strain on our infrastructure and health facilities,” Otuoma told Senate leaders.
He noted that Busia County often provides health services and other amenities to Ugandans crossing the border, increasing the county’s population by nearly 30 percent beyond what it plans for annually.
Otuoma urged the Senate to allocate part of the Equalization Fund to border counties and to allow them to impose fees on trucks and trailers using border points such as Malaba and Busia to ease the financial burden.
“Busia handles nearly 1,800 long-distance trucks every day through its two one-stop border posts, yet the county earns very little from this traffic,” he said, adding that most cargo leaving the Port of Mombasa passes through Busia.
While Mombasa benefits heavily from port-related revenues, Otuoma said Busia collects just over KSh530 million annually in local revenue mostly from hospital fees a figure that could grow if counties were empowered to levy transit fees.
Last year, plans to introduce a cess on long-distance trucks were shelved following protests from transporters. However, Otuoma insisted that frontier counties should not be left behind in national resource planning, saying additional support is crucial to maintain service delivery and spur development.
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