The Senate Plenary, Friday 27th June 2025, Special Sitting, Afternoon Session

Friday 27th June 2025 | Afternoon Session

This special sitting of the Kenyan Senate was convened to address urgent legislative business during the Senate's recess, primarily focusing on several bills critical to county financing and operations. The session, called by a Gazette Notice, saw extensive discussions and decisions on equitable revenue sharing among counties, amidst broader dialogues on fiscal management and accountability.

Bills Discussed

• Equalization Fund Appropriation Bill, Senate Bill No. 7 of 2025 – First Reading
• County Allocation of Revenue Bill, Senate Bill No. 9 of 2025 – First Reading
• County Government's Additional Allocations No. 2 Bill, Senate Bill No. 8 of 2025 – First Reading
• Division of Revenue Bill, National Assembly Bill No. 10 of 2025 – Mediated version approved, increasing county allocations

Topics Discussed

• Equitable revenue distribution to counties
• Fiscal challenges and pending bills in counties
• Importance of effective devolved functions, particularly in health and agriculture
• The impact and management of national protests on public funds and security
• Calls for revisions in intergovernmental fiscal policies and revenue-sharing formulas

Key Takeaways and Decisions

• Approval of the mediated version of the Division of Revenue Bill, which allocates KSh 415 billion to counties, an increase of KSh 28 billion from the previous allocation.
• Acknowledgment of affirmative action in revenue allocation, particularly aiding 12 disadvantaged counties with an additional KSh 4.46 billion.
• Commitment to further scrutinize and potentially revise the formula behind on-source revenue collection and allocation.

Major Participants

• Hon. Ali Roba: Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Finance and Budget; led the mediation on revenue allocation.
• Senator Bonnie Kalwale: Seconded the motion to adopt the mediated version of the revenue bill, emphasizing the increase to county funds.
• Senator Nyutu: Advocated for responsible use of allocations to aid in development and opposed the misuse of funds.
• Senator Mungatana: Highlighted concerns about over-centralization and called for increased funding for devolved functions.
• Senator Olekina: Strongly opposed monetary mismanagement and supported the bill for empowering local governance.

Key Moments

• Senate's Debate on Revenue Allocation: A passionate discussion on the equitable allocation of funds to support counties, with significant attention to affirmatively supporting marginalized regions.
• Concerns Over Governance and Accountability: Senators raised alarms over the misuse of allocated funds and the impact of political unrest on fiscal stability.

This summary was generated from official YouTube livestreams of the Kenyan Parliament using bunge-bits, an automated transcription and summarization tool.