Abstract:
The Constitution of Kenya (2010) established the Equalisation Fund which is allocated one
half percent of nationally raised revenue, computed on the basis of the most recent audited
approved accounts of revenue. The Equalisation Fund (EF) became operational in the
financial year 2011/12 following the promulgation of the Constitution in 2010. The Fund
is used to improve basic services that relate to water, health, roads and electricity- among
others, in marginalised areas.
The Constitution further entrusts the identification of marginalised areas and determination
of a criteria for sharing revenues from the Equalisation Fund to the Commission on Revenue
Allocation (CRA). The Commission prepared the first three-year policy in 2013, which
identified fourteen marginalised counties and allocated Kshs 11.8 billion from the EF to
these counties. The first policy lapsed in the FY 2016/17. This is the second policy prepared
by the Commission, in pursuit of this mandate.
Invoking the principle of equity, this second policy recognizes that there are pockets of
extreme marginalisation even in prosperous places. Therefore, this policy adopted a new
approach to identify marginalised areas. In this policy, the Commission has moved beyond
identifying marginalised counties and instead, determined specific areas using sub-locations
where marginalised communities live. This approach is expected to ensure that resources
meant to improve services in lagging areas are properly targeted for the realization of
maximum impact.
In this regard, guided by the provisions of Article 204, this second policy used indicators on
access to education, water, sanitation and electricity to construct an index of deprivation.
This index is used to rank 7,131 sub-locations from the lagging areas to the most prosperous.
A total of 1,424 sub-locations, the bottom 20 percent where about 5 million Kenyans live,
have been identified for funding from the Equalisation Fund. The policy also identifies four
marginalised minority communities that need to be targeted for service provision, namely;
Elmolo, Makonde, Watta and Dorobo-Saleita. The policy has formulated an index for sharing
the funds among the 1424 sub locations.
This policy recommends the fostering of partnerships through matching funds, where
appropriate, along with the involvement of county governments, local administration and
beneficiary communities in the selection and implementation of projects, among other
recommendations.
It is the hope of the Commission that the implementation of this second policy will improve
access to basic services for the bottom 20 percent and that no Kenyan will be left behind.