Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka has expressed optimism that the protracted stalemate over the Division of Revenue Bill 2019 could be addressed by next week.
The stalemate between the Senate and the National Assembly has caused a serious cash crunch in counties.
The mediation team comprising of members of the two houses will meet on Wednesday after their initial meeting on Tuesday failed to bear fruits.
He regretted the disruption that the protracted push and pull between the two houses has brought to counties.
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“The cash crisis has caused a lot of financial difficulties in all counties but we are certain that the mediation committee that is holding negotiation will reach a consensus in a week’s time,” he said.
Sentiments that were echoed by, Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata who also regretted that counties had been pushed into illegal borrowing to pay workers’ salaries as well as finance county government operations following the stalemate.
They spoke while on an inspection of the ongoing preparation for the second Senate Mashinani which is set to be held in Kitui from September 16.
The Senate has proposed that counties should get Sh335 billion from Treasury to run their affairs while the National Assembly has maintained that the figure should be trimmed down to Sh316 billion.
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