President William Ruto has instructed the two houses to expedite the passage of the Division of Revenue Act (DoRA) and the County Allocation of Revenue Act (CARA) before their recess.
The president stated that this move would facilitate the smooth transfer of funds to counties and reiterated his commitment to defending devolution.
President Ruto noted that there is currently no framework grounded in law for the division of revenue, and they often rely on the advice of the Attorney General.
“I have directed both the Majority Leaders and the Speakers to ensure the Bills are passed,” he said.
He added that once enacted, the Bills would ensure timely and uninterrupted disbursement of resources to counties, addressing the current challenges.
President Ruto made these remarks on Tuesday in Kisumu while officially opening the 4th AfSNET Conference.
The conference was organised by Afreximbank in collaboration with the County Government of Kisumu.
The president was responding to remarks by Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, who announced that, based on the Attorney General’s guidance, the government had managed to release funds to counties.
The president further revealed a $3 billion framework agreement with Afreximbank to support various aspects of the country’s economy.
“They have supported our fuel imports, commodity trade, and other sectors. Today, we will formalise some agreements with the bank,” he said.
President Ruto also highlighted plans to revitalise the cotton value chain, which includes seed multiplication, support for farmers, ginneries, and market access.
In the fisheries sector, he announced a KSh. 2.6 billion rescue centre to be established along Lake Victoria to address lake-related accidents.
Additionally, he confirmed that the Kabonyo Kanyagwal fisheries centre is progressing well, with construction set to commence soon.
“We plan to start breeding fingerlings to restock the dwindling fish population in the lake. It is unfortunate that we, as a country, are importing fish,” he said.
The president also mentioned ongoing discussions with investors to complete the stalled Mamboleo Convention Centre through a public-private partnership.
