Senators allied to Ruto have dared Chief Whip Irungu Kang’ata to crack his whip on them after they refused to support the highly debated revenue sharing formula.
Former deputy speaker, Kithure Kindiki said he did not fear being kicked out of the Jubilee Party over his stand on the controversial revenue sharing formula.
The Tharaka – Nithi Senator said he is “ready to drink the cup of the top Jubilee and Nasa leaders’ wrath” for opposing the proposed third basis formula which he called “biased”.
Speaking in Chiakariga in Tharaka Constituency over the weekend, the Senator said he is ready to be expelled from the ruling party is that is the ultimate prize he had to pay for his stand.
“I am ready to be expelled from the Jubilee Party if that is the ultimate prize that I have to pay for opposing the proposed formula that is biased,” said Prof Kindiki.
According to Kindiki, he cannot support the formula that only favors rich counties, and neglecting the poor ones citing the formula was against the spirit of devolution whose objective is to ensure even development.
The Senator asked the Majority Chief Irungu Kang’ata to stop threatening senator with disciplinary action but engage them soberly for an amicable solution.
Last Tuesday, the Senator declined for the sixth time to adopt the formula for sharing Sh316.5 billion allocated for the devolved government even as the counties face a financial crisis.
As per the proposed formula, 28 counties are set to gain while 19 are to lose out on the allocations.
Prof Kindiki maintained that come Tuesday, they will oppose the formula and if they lose the vote in the Senate, they will then move to court and later take the matter to the court of public opinion.
Kindiki said come 2022 polls, they will rally Kenyans against those leaders who are currently supporting the “divisive formula” which see some devolved units lose development funds.
“If we lose both on the floor of the Senate and in a court of law, we will run to the court of public opinion,” he said.
Kindiki’s statement comes after Senator Kang’ata threatened to take action against Jubilee Senators who defied the party’s stand on the countries revenue sharing formula.
“There were some senators who are in positions of leadership in the party who decided on their motion to go against the official position of the government. We expect some remedial action to be taken against them,” Kang’ata said.
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“I do not doubt that that very soon we shall be cracking the whip of the party against those who went against the official government business that was before the House,” he added.
With division being seen in the Senate, the stalemate on the formula is likely to continue something that will put counties into a serious financial crisis as they struggle to control the spread of coronavirus.
The governors said the standoff in the Senate has interfered with services, delayed salaries, and has also derailed the fight against Covid-19.
