The Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has affirmed his support for the principle of "one man, one vote, one shilling" in the ongoing debate over revenue sharing. Speaking at ACK St. Peter's Cathedral in Siakago, Mbeere North during the Consecration of the Assistant Bishop of ACK church in Mbeere diocese John Kimani Nthiga, Gachagua emphasized the need for fairness in distributing revenue, citing the correlation between population size, tax contribution, and resource allocation.
He underscored the importance of equality and equity in revenue sharing, asserting that the more one contributes in taxes, the more one should receive in return.
The DP stated that the formula used to share revenue across the country was not fair and thus it was doing injustice to regions which are highly populated.
"In matters revenue sharing, Rigathi Gachagua, Deputy President of Republic of Kenya is a believer and a proponent of one man ,one vote ,one shilling. Resources are about people.The more you are the more taxes you pay and it goes without saying the more taxes you pay when it comes to sharing you share more. And will push for that, "Gachangua said.
However, he downplayed suggestions that the push for "one man, one vote, one shilling" is solely driven by leaders from highly populated regions, emphasizing instead the need for equitable distribution regardless of geographic demographics.
Embu Governor Ms Cecily Mbarire said governors from Mt Kenya region are in full support of the principle of "one man, one vote, one shilling,saying the counties they represent have more people and thus need for more resources to meet their needs.
"The money we get here in Mt Kenya counties is little compared to what goes to other counties. The formula did not take into account of the population,"she said.
She said the formula now looks on the land mass and not population saying there was no equity.
Mbarire also pointed out that many parts of Embu are semi-arid and they don't benefit from equalization fund saying the county has suffered a double marginalization.
Embu Senator Alexander Mundigi emphasized the potential benefits of increased county allocations arguing that such measures would enhance service delivery and development initiatives at the local level.
He called on the government to consider increasing allocation to counties saying many were struggling to stay afloat and ensure service delivery to people.
The Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) had proposed the one man, one vote, one shilling as the formula to share the revenue before the Supreme Court declaration that nullified it.
Other leaders who accompanied the Deputy President included Geoffrey Ruku (MP Mbeere North) ,Eric Muchangi (Runyenjes) Gitonga Mukunji (Manyatta) , Nebert Muriuki (Mbeere South) ,Pamela Njoki Double N (Embu MP) and Martha Wangari (Gilgil).
STORY By BRIAN MUSYOKA
MWINGI TIMES for timely and authoritative news.
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