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"speaker_name": "Hon. Kingi",
"speaker_title": "The Speaker",
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"content": " Sen. Sifuna, proceed."
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"legal_name": "Sifuna Edwin Watenya",
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"content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, different from the Senator for Nandi County, I have always been proud of our Committee on Finance and Budget that is chaired by Sen. Ali Roba. In fact, last year, I was trying to plead with my colleagues that we adopt the report of the Committee on Finance and Budget, which had proposed that we give Kshs407 billion to counties, as opposed to the Kshs385 billion that had been passed by the National Assembly. Needless to say, my position then put me at odds with many of my colleagues in this House. They were very unhappy every time I stood to speak and remind them of the options that were placed before this House and the choice they exercised. They tried to paint me like a bad person. As I said, once bitten, twice shy. I will not be taken in by some of the good sentiments that we are hearing coming from the Senators here. I will wait for the actual vote. Last time, I heard very good things being said about how we need to support our counties, but on the day of the vote, I saw colleagues taking a totally different position."
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"content": "(Applause)"
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"text_counter": 132,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Sifuna",
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"legal_name": "Sifuna Edwin Watenya",
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"content": "I am looking forward to seeing Sen. Abdul Haji's vote. He has spoken very passionately. I want to see how Sen. Cherarkey will vote because that is where it counts. Secondly, reading the Report of our Committee on Finance and Budget, I am a bit surprised by one thing. If you see the submissions by the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA), which is the body mandated under Article 203, among other things, to use the criteria set in Article 203(1) to determine the shareable revenue for county governments. I am asking myself, how is it possible that last year the CRA was proposing Kshs407 billion to go to counties, and this particular year, they are proposing a lower amount of Kshs391 billion? I do not understand, and I would want a conversation with the CRA, so that they explain to me. Under the criteria set out under Article 203(1), if you look at (d), one of the criteria is the need to ensure that county governments are able to perform the functions allocated to them. If you go to Article 203(1)(k), another criterion is the need for flexibility in responding to emergencies and other temporary needs. Mr. Speaker, Sir, as you are well aware, many of our counties right now are inundated with flooding. Yesterday, the governor of Nairobi City County called the The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
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{
"id": 1408685,
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"text_counter": 133,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Sifuna",
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"id": 13599,
"legal_name": "Sifuna Edwin Watenya",
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"content": "Members of Parliament from Nairobi for a meeting. People were extremely upset to see me in the same room with the governor. It is as if people expect that every time I see my governor, I should go on his neck or punch him in the face. When we do oversight, that is not the expectation. At a time of disaster response, it is very possible for Sen. Sifuna to be reasonable and sit across the table to undertake a very detailed conversation on the emergency disaster response that is going towards assuaging the situation of the people of Nairobi. However, I have seen very interesting comments that Sen. Sifuna has been ‘pocketed’ because of a picture of a meeting in a public place in the presence of other leaders and the media. The point that I am making is, if I am going to be ‘pocketed,’ I will not be ‘pocketed’ in a public place. The Speaker knows that it is impossible to ‘pocket’ Sen. Sifuna, at least not publicly. It cannot happen."
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"speaker": null,
"content": "(Laughter)"
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"id": 1408687,
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"text_counter": 135,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Sifuna",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 13599,
"legal_name": "Sifuna Edwin Watenya",
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"content": "I want the people of Nairobi to relax. I will continue to do the job that they gave me. However, the reason I bring up---"
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Kingi",
"speaker_title": "The Speaker",
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"content": " Sena. Sifuna, just leave the Chair out of that line. Proceed."
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"content": "(Laughter)"
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Sifuna",
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"legal_name": "Sifuna Edwin Watenya",
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"content": "I withdraw, Mr. Speaker, Sir. The point that I was making on the question of disaster is that many of our counties are overwhelmed. We have about Kshs900 million for disaster response in Nairobi. What most people do not understand is that disasters in Nairobi is a daily occurrence. We need to enhance the capacity of county governments to be able to undertake this function. That is why this year, I beg our colleagues to vote for the higher amount as proposed of Kshs415 billion by our own Ccommittee. Counties are also facing very difficult times because of high cost of living and, of course, the introduction of new taxation, which is something that if you look at the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) survey of market perceptions of January, 2024, I have that document here with me, it is very grim that because of the high cost of living, especially the inflationary trends, increased taxation and increased cost of goods, many of these counties are struggling. It needs to be factored in in the final amount that goes to our counties. Of course, there is the question of pending bills. As this House knows, out of the Kshs160 billion plus of pending bills owed by all the 47 counties, Nairobi City County alone owes Kshs107 billion in pending bills, which is 66 per cent of all the pending bills owed by county governments. Our own Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), in their 15th edition report of February, 2024, one of the proposals that have been made here is that we need to provide and ring-fence money for payment of pending bills. I want to thank Dr. Masinde for making some of his recommendations because many of the suppliers in these counties are The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}
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