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{
    "id": 1008901,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1008901/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 55,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Murkomen",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. What we are about to do is very important. Since it does not require the threshold of the 24 Senators, I wish Senators were patient for us to put a few issues on record. I support the Motion by Sen. Orengo because it is the right thing to do. In this circumstance, as the Senate, we must go further than what Sen. Orengo suggested. If you look at the formula that was presented by the Committee going by the position of the Constitution in Article 217 (2), which says- “In determining the basis of revenue sharing under clause (1), the Senate shall- (a) take the criteria in Article 203(1) into account; (b) request and consider recommendations from the Commission on Revenue Allocation; (c) consult the county governors, the Cabinet Secretary responsible for finance and any organisation of county governments. If you look at this threshold set by the Constitution, I do not think that neither the Committee’s recommendation nor the suggested amendments comply with Article 217. We have been here before. In the last Parliament, we were here and a formula that was not satisfactory to us was brought, and a few of us raised issues. The Senator of Mombasa then, Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr., I, and others, raised those issues on the Floor of the House and we agreed to shelf the formula for one year. The formula passed a year later because of the decision we made on the Floor of the House. My suggestion is that the formula that has been suggested by the Committee is extremely divisive. Even if my county is benefiting, it is ridiculous to see that other counties are losing a colossal amount of resources at a time when there is no formula of cushioning them, and there is no way of protecting these counties. Madam Deputy Speaker, I am the Senator for Elgeyo-Marakwet County, but I have been given the responsibility to be a Senator for all counties in the country. The decisions we make on the Floor of this House affect other counties. I will appreciate if you allow me an extra minute. Leading a country will be judged not by the way you treat the strong and the rich; it is how you treat the weak and the marginalized. We cannot stand on the Floor of this House and preside over a process that further marginalizes those who have been marginalized for the last 50 years. Therefore, the negotiation that we are about to do here will not succeed in one week. My suggestion to those who are in leadership at the moment is that, when we come back on this issue, we should first pass the County Allocation of Revenue Bill, as it is at the moment using the formula that exists and the money goes to the counties. We can then take the next one year to negotiate through this formula until we agree and everybody can say that we live in a happy country. I want to request those who are involved in this process, but are not Senators, to leave this process to Senators and the Senate, so that we can come to a conclusion that is not interfered with from outside. Thank you. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}