Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) in partnership with the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) with technical support from European Union (EU) have today launched The Integrated Devolution Data Portal (TIDDP) aimed at centralizing devolution information onto a single platform.
The portal is an interactive platform for information sharing between County Governments, Constitutional Implementation Bodies, the public and other stakeholders providing a unified space for users to easily identify, retrieve and use devolution information.
Launching the portal today, CRA chairperson, Dr. Jane Kiringai stated that, “The portal aims at collecting and aggregating resources and simplifying access to data, news, county websites, and task performance tools through single-log-in profiles.”
Devolution in Kenya still faces challenges including overdependence on the national government for finances, unstructured mechanism to sustain investment attraction to counties, inconsistent county regulatory frameworks and lack of a national framework to guide counties in policy and legislations affecting business.
KAM Chief Executive, Ms. Phyllis Wakiaga noted that the portal is a vital tool to enrich counties and enhance investment opportunities. The portal will help keep track record of fast moving counties.
“The Integrated Devolution Data Portal that we are launching today will encourage counties to explore their natural advantages to attract investment. Increased use of digital platforms such as this portal will enhance counties responsiveness to market changes and also give businesses more freedom to drive innovation for development,” added Ms. Wakiaga.
The portal will serve as a central national repository for information on county legislation and devolution related issues in all the 47 counties thereby playing a vital role in public awareness by serving as a source of information on key revenue laws, county revenue enhancement measures and county taxation legislation. Moreover it will support peer learning and benchmarking.
The Commission on Revenue Allocation is mandated under Article 216 of the Constitution to make recommendations on the sharing of revenue between national and county governments and among county governments. The Commission further makes recommendations on the financing of, and financial management by county governments. In order to make appropriate recommendations, the Commission utilizes data that is accurate, credible, reliable and verifiable.