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{
    "id": 1003558,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1003558/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 176,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, remember I brought the Third Progress Report and we have now done eight progress reports. The Third Progress Report was about health issues; that 27 counties in Kenya do not have a single ICU facility. Sen. Pareno’s question was key on how we are then going to divide the Kshs5 billion. We engaged the Ministry of Health and the Council of Governors, where it was established that conditional grants disbursed to counties through the Ministry of Health on the basis of the revenue allocation formulae determined by the Commission of Revenue Allocation (CRA). I think that was poor thinking and I am glad that the Senate Majority Leader is thinking. This is because the criteria to give counties money, the one we do here, should not be the same criteria to distribute money during a pandemic. It is not about land, population, poverty index or fiscal discipline. It is about dealing with a pandemic. For instance, a county like Migori, Kajiado or border counties might need more allocations than counties which might have bigger population, but are less vulnerable. We said that was a bit lazy from the side of Government, and we are engaging them. The impact of using the existing formulae was that some counties that have already recorded many cases received less allocation than counties, which are yet to record a single case. I do not know why this example was given. I know that the Senator for Nyandarua may be upset with me. Isiolo has received Kshs16 million, but Nyandarua which has no case has received Kshs89 million. Kajiado which has 177 cases received KShs52 million, while Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri’s Kisii County with three (3) cases has received Kshs156 million without a case, while Kshs52 million for a county with 177 cases. Even if we like our counties, we need to be careful about the rationale. Another factor that ought to have been considered is counties hosting Level 5 hospitals which have received conditional grants every year towards improving healthcare infrastructure. Such counties are already far ahead of other counties in terms of infrastructure and facilities in place. Thus, priority ought to have been given to counties that are struggling to put up such facilities. Mr. Speaker, Sir, while the initial grants of Kshs5 billion has already been disbursed, we plan to engage the Cabinet Secretary for Health further, the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) and the Treasury because there is no money that will be given. We want it to be given in a proper criterion that looks at the actual need and how we deal with a pandemic, not just the same formulae for devolution. By now the Committee has done 72 meetings."
}