Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has accused the National Assembly of using budget reductions to punish counties and undermine devolution, describing the move as “blackmail” against governors and county governments.
Speaking during Thursday’s Senate debate on the Division of Revenue Bill, Sifuna alleged that the cuts were designed to force counties into compliance with national decisions they never agreed to.
“That is the conversation we want to have, because we see a situation where the National Assembly is blackmailing governors and county governments into accepting things,” Sifuna said, insisting that the reductions lacked transparency and justification.
He cited instances where county headquarters in Isiolo, Lamu, Nyandarua, Tana River, and Tharaka Nithi had their allocations arbitrarily reduced by Ksh1 million each, calling the move “senseless and politically motivated.”
“At the very minimum, this just looks like flexing of muscles the National Assembly showing the Senate that they can do these things,” Sifuna remarked.
The senator further demanded that the Finance Committee explain why Isiolo’s allocation was slashed from Ksh60 million to Ksh59 million, questioning the rationale behind such minor but symbolic deductions.
He reminded the House of a High Court ruling that declared similar budget alterations unconstitutional, warning that the current trend undermines constitutional principles of devolution and equality in resource allocation.
