A Jubilee Party nominated Member of Parliament has dismissed call by opposition leader Raila Odinga for the review of the structure of devolution.
Raila on Wednesday advocated for the introduction of 14 regional blocks to the current 47 devolved units and the national government, arguing the new structure will provide a lasting solution to the problems caused by the sizes of devolved units.
But David Ole Sankok said the former Prime Minister was being 'unreasonable' to demand change of the structure of government now when Kenyans 'have too much in their hands'.
Speaking during an interview with Citizen TV, he noted that to implement Raila's proposal would require change of the constitution, which he observed Kenyans were not ready for.
"I will not support any amendments that will bring another burden to the taxpayers," he said on Thursday.
The first-time legislator added: "We are not ready for a referendum. The taxpayers are over-burdened. Creating another tier of government is totally unreasonable."
Speaking during the 5th Annual Devolution Conference, Raila defended his idea saying it was time the country revisited the structure of governance to address the issue of the economic viability of counties.
"I want to propose to this forum that we need to bite the bullet and revisit the structure of devolution and adopt one that will ensure a clear formula for revenue sharing," the ODM leader said.
Sanok said although there was a need to make devolved units more economically viable, Raila's proposal should be implemented after a decade.
"Collapsing these counties and not having another tier of government is okay with me. However, it should wait for the next ten years, not now," the MP added.