By Janet Nyanchoka
The Division of Revenue Bill, a crucial piece of legislation has, for the third time, failed to pass in the National Assembly due to lack of quorum.
The key contention is control of the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KERRA) kitty.
Governors and parliamentarians are divided on which level of government the kitty should fall.
It is a situation that is starting to look less like a political spat and more like a full-blown crisis.
At the heart of the impasse is a lawsuit filed by the Council of Governors (CoG), which has effectively frozen funds allocated to KERRA, traditionally used to improve constituency roads.
The governors argue that these funds should be fully devolved, but legislators insist that withholding them hampers crucial infrastructural development in the constituencies.
According to Stephen Mogaka, MP for West Mugirango Constituency, the stalemate will persist unless governors withdraw the court case as previously agreed during mediation efforts to pave way for road repairs.
He noted that passage of the Division of Revenue Bill is at stake due to the stalemate.
A Government Bill failing three times speaks volumes as relates to the mood of the House .
Earlier, mediation attempts yielded a seeming breakthrough when the CoG agreed to withdraw their petition.
Following the latest turn, MPs have accused the governors of backtracking, throwing the entire process into disarray.
In a last-minute bid to salvage the situation, the governor’s council is expected to appear before the National Assembly leadership on Wednesday morning.
The meeting is seen as an attempt to find common ground and prevent a prolonged fiscal crisis that could paralyze county operations.
The stakes are incredibly high.
Counties are already starved for funds, and the longer this stalemate drags on, the more it jeopardizes essential services for millions of Kenyans.
Meanwhile, CoG is reading mischief and President William Ruto’s hand in the crisis surrounding KERRA and Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) funds.
In a statement, Kisumu Governor, Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o said the president was determined to take the country back to the pre-devolution era.
He asked Kenyans to resist any attempt to reverse the gains of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010
–Additional reporting by KPC Reporter