On Monday, May 8, Senator Boni Khalwale took to Twitter to express his satisfaction with the progress of Western Kenya, as he shared photos from the recently constructed Kakamega Airstrip before boarding a plane to Nairobi. In his post, he highlighted the strides in development the region has made. However, not everyone was on board with his message.
A Twitter user challenged the lawmaker, accusing him of claiming credit for the development achieved by other leaders. They alleged that Khalwale was one of the Senators who had opposed the Division of Revenue Bill, designed to increase funding for counties. In response, the Senator suggested that the critic was misinformed, stating, “Ignorance is bliss.”
Another user, going by the name Ahmedkadar, chimed in to remind the legislator that Wajir Airstrip was superior to Kakamega’s. The user urged Khalwale to explore Kenya more thoroughly to better understand the nation’s development efforts.
In related news, the Senate recently approved a KSh 385.4 billion revenue allocation to county governments for the 2023/24 fiscal year. This figure falls short of the KSh 407 billion requested by the counties, which initially sought a KSh 37 billion increase from the previous allocation of KSh 370 billion. Senators aligned with Kenya’s Kwanza government rejected this proposal.
During the April 20 session, 22 ruling party senators voted against the county’s proposal, while nine from the opposition voted in favor. The Council of Governors (CoG) had advocated for amendments to the Division of Revenue Bill 2023, based on the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) proposals. Senators opposed to the ruling party’s stance, such as Senate Minority Leader Ledama Olekina (Narok) and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, criticized their colleagues for hindering devolution.