President William Ruto on Wednesday assented to three critical bills: the Division of Revenue (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Rating Bill, 2022, and the Water (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
The Division of Revenue (Amendment) Act, 2024, introduced by Ndindi Nyoro, chair of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, allocates Ksh.387 billion as an equitable share of revenue to counties for the 2024/2025 financial year.
Initially, the controversial Finance Bill, 2024 had allocated Ksh.400 billion, but nationwide protests prompted a revision to Ksh.380 billion. Following negotiations between the National Assembly and the Senate, the figure was finalized at Ksh.387 billion, representing 24.67% of the most recent audited revenue.
The amount marks a Ksh.2 billion increase from the Ksh.385 billion allocated to counties in the 2023/2024 financial year, despite a revenue shortfall.
The Rating Act, 2024, sponsored by Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, establishes a standardized framework for property valuation and rating by counties. The new law provides counties with clear guidelines for assessing property values and imposing rates.
It also introduces the office of the Chief Government Valuer, who will serve as the primary advisor to national and county governments on valuation matters.
The Water (Amendment) Act, 2024, also sponsored by Ichung’wah, facilitates public-private partnerships (PPPs) in financing water infrastructure projects undertaken by national government agencies.
These legislative developments aim to strengthen governance at both national and county levels by providing counties with more resources and structured guidelines while fostering collaboration with private entities in critical sectors like water.
