COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli has thrown his voice in the controversial revenue allocation formula that has left the Senate divided of which way to follow. Mr. Atwoli is now supporting the “one-man-one-vote-one-shilling” mantra.
“The 2019 census showed that several counties recorded a huge drop in their populations while populations of other counties increased,” Atwoli said.
According to the Secretary General, some counties manipulated their population numbers during the last census to benefit at the expense of other counties that followed the required procedure in giving correct figures.
He said a significant decrease in population in some counties as recorded in the 2019 census had to do with the ongoing impasse over the revenue sharing formula.
“It is because of this reduction in population in these counties that the formula, no matter how it is applied, will see those counties get less money. This is a statistical fact and is not a punishment,” he said.
He claimed that in the 2009 census, several other counties found a way to fabricate their numbers, creating a larger population than they actually had.
“It is depriving the people of Kakamega money for roads, water, education, bursaries, to give money to counties like Mandera which has 150,000 fewer people according to the 2019 census report,” he said.
Atwoli says there are rumors of some Governors who want to get the excess money using their powers and even money to want to influence the debate. He has also accused some leaders of taking advantage of the debate to want to push and influence their political agenda.
“I urge the Senate to debate this thing soberly and urgently come up with a formula and not this so-called win-win formula, but one that will ensure that the current statistics is utilized in ensuring that there is a fair and equitable distribution of resources,” he said.