The Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) has launched the second policy that recognises marginalised areas and offers a standard for sharing the Equalisation Fund.
The second policy has identified 1424 sub-locations in 366 wards and 34 counties in Kenya as the most marginalised. The goal of the policy is to enhance access to basic services for nearly 5.6 million Kenyans.
The use of sub-locations will help counties to better use their resources in the areas that are struggling to access basic needs.
“The commission is mandated by the Constitution to develop a policy that sets out the criteria by which marginalized areas are identified for purposes of sharing revenues from the Equalisation Fund,” said CRA chairperson Dr Jane Kiringai.
The Equalisation Fund is composed of 0.5 per cent of all revenue the national government collects every year. The fund finances basic services such as electricity, water, healthcare facilities, and roads for marginalised communities. 76 per cent of the fund will continue to finance the needs of marginalised areas identified in the first policy.
Kenya’s Marginalised Areas
To create this second policy and identify marginalised areas, the commission used indicators such as utilisation of electricity, access to safe drinking water, net primary and secondary school attendance rates, and use of better sanitation. The commission also held stakeholder consultations with all the 47 county governments.
The commission discovered that children in some of these areas wake up at three in the morning to attend school only to arrive there at 9 am. In addition, there are inadequate schools, teachers, and boarding facilities where they are needed.
The commission also noted major healthcare problems where women give birth in the bush because the hospitals are too far away to reach in time and the roads are not any good.
Populations in marginalised areas also grapple with inadequate water which is worsened by lack of fresh underground water. That means that boreholes are useless as sources of drinking water.
Minority Groups
The second policy also recognises the Elmolo, Makonde, Dorobo-Saletia, and Waata as minority groups that require specific projects to better their socio-economic status.
The commission plans to implement the improvement measures identified in the second policy to ensure that marginalised communities can access basic services thereby creating equality throughout the country.
