Battle lines were drawn in the Senate on Tuesday, July 28, when senators debated on the controversial division of revenue formula which adopted the ‘one man, one vote, one shilling’ slogan.
The motion proposed that more resources needed to be allocated to densely populated counties, a position that was supported by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
However, in the evening on July 28, the proposal died on the table of the house when 25 senators shot it down.
The list of senators who opposed the government position consisted of legislators from the president’s party.
They include Senator Kipchumba Murkomen (Elgeyo-Marakwet), Johnstone Sakaja (Nairobi), Anwar Loitiptip (Lamu), Kindiki Kithure (Tharaka Nithi), Ltumbesi Lelegwe (Samburu) Mahamud Mohamed (Wajir) Wario Juma (Tana River) and Philip Mpaayei (Kajiado).
Many of the legislators who opposed the motion represent expansive regions that are sparsely populated and had been perceived as losers in the revenue formula.
However, Sakaja opposed the proposed law even though Nairobi would have seen an increased allocation, having over four million residents.
“A child in Mandera must have the same shot at life as a child in Makueni. There’s is no Kenya A or Kenya B,” he stated while criticizing Kang’ata’s proposal.
Many of the senators who shot down the ‘one man, one vote, one shilling’ motion were dressed in ties donning patterns of Kenya’s flag as a show of solidarity with marginalized areas.
Nyamira Senator Okong’o Mogeni argued that it would have been unfair for some counties to gain by reducing revenue from others.
After the motion was defeated, Kang’ata warned that legislators who defied the government’s position would face consequences.
“From where I sit, we now know those who don’t support the ‘one-man’ one shilling’ one vote’ and very soon we intend to take the vote again,” he stated during an interview with Citizen TV.
He expressed surprise that some senators whose counties would gain in the new formula voted against their own interests.
“There are senators in positions of leadership who decided on their own motion to go against the official position of the government and I think we expect some remedial action to be taken against those senators because once you vote against the government position, you must expect some sanctions,” he promised.
Below are names of 25 senators who shot down Kang’ata’s motion
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- Fatuma Dullo
- Ibrahim Ali
- Issa Juma
- Hajj Moh’d Yussuf
- Hargura Godana
- Ekal Malachi
- Boniface Kabaka
- George Khaniri
- Sam Ongeri
- Stewart Mazda yo
- Cleophas Malala
- Eric Mogeni
- Mutula Kilonzo
- Sen. Johnes Mwaruma
- Mwinyihaji Faki
- Ledama Ole Kina
- Sakaja Johnson
- Enoch Wambua
- Kindiki Kithure
- Lelegwe Ltumbesi
- Anwar Loitiptip
- Mahamud Mohamed
- Wario Juma
- Philip Mpaayei
- Kipchumba Murkome