By Peter Ochieng
Democratic Action Party (DAP) Kenya leader Eugine Ludovic Wamalwa has joined the one man-one -one vote-one shilling bandwagon.
Addressing the press in Nairobi on Thursday, Wamalwa said it is the only way to ensure the national cake is shared equally.
“DAP-K fully welcomes the one man-one vote-one shilling campaign because this will ensure that the national cake is shared equally among all Kenyans. Resources will be distributed equally to all Kenyans,” said Wamalwa, the former Defence CS.
The matter was recently raised by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who stated that the formula will greatly benefit residents of Mt. Kenya.
Far from it however, Wamalwa says the formula if implemented will benefit all Kenyans. “The one man–one vote-one shilling is not for Mt. Kenya people alone but the formula will benefit all Kenyans across all the 47 counties. As a party, we fully support the formula for fair resource distribution to all Kenyans,” he said.
Gachagua is advocating for more revenue to regions that have high populations, since they contribute the most taxes.
“In matters of revenue sharing, I firmly believe in one-man-one-vote-one-shilling. It’s a straightforward concept: the more people there are in an area, the more taxes they contribute and the more funding they deserve to receive,” the deputy president said recently.
“In matters of revenue sharing, I am a believer, a proponent of one-man-one-vote-one-shilling. Resources are about the people. The whole issue of resources is about the people. The more you are, the more taxes you pay. It goes without saying, the more taxes you pay, the more you should get.” S
“We have no apologies to make. We want equality and equity. We want fairness in sharing of revenue. We will be pushing that agenda not because we come from a region that has a high population but because it is the right thing to do,” he added.
Some leaders especially in Arid and Semi-Arid counties such as Samburu and Garissa, have opposed the clamour for the concept.
Led by former Samburu Woman Representative Maison Leshomo, the leaders from the Arid and Semi-Arid Areas said that their region has historically lagged behind in terms of development due to the vast land mass, adding that mass must also be considered as a factor in sharing the national cake.