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{
    "id": 1012512,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1012512/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 191,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kieni, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kanini Kega",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1813,
        "legal_name": "James Mathenge Kanini Kega",
        "slug": "james-mathenge-kanini-kega"
    },
    "content": "of Revenue Bill has shared these funds among the counties. In addition, the Bill provides for other allocations to county governments in form of conditional grants. The proposed total allocation going to county governments, therefore, for the current 2020/2021 Financial Year, stands at Kshs369.87 billion. It comprises of the equitable share the Senate and everybody keeps talking about; the Kshs316.5 billion. There is also the Government of Kenya grants which many Members do not pay a lot of interest in, which is Kshs13.73 billion. There is also the Roads Maintenance Fuel Levy at a factor of Kshs9.4 billion. Also, there are loans and grants which go to county governments totalling Kshs30.2 billion. Just to pick two issues, one is on the shareable revenue. The projected revenue collection for the Financial Year 2020/2021 is estimated at Kshs1.856 trillion of which, Kshs1.6 trillion is of the national Government. In the Financial Year 2020/2021, the equitable share to the counties is maintained at the same level of the Financial Year 2019/2020. It is an allocation of Kshs316 billion shillings. The First Schedule of the County Allocation of Revenue Bill, 2020 specifies each county’s allocation for the Financial Year 2020/2021. The import of this is that the new formula is not applicable in this financial year. So, we are going by the formula or the basis that was done in 2016. That tells you that the inordinate delay that was in the Senate where they were talking about the formula and the money could not be released will not be factored in this. So, to me or from where we sit, that inordinate delay was totally unnecessary. The second one is on the Government of Kenya’s conditional grants. It is worth noting for Members that there a lot of resources going to the counties in terms of conditional grants. Just to pick a few, we are giving Kshs6.2 billion to the leasing of medical equipment; Kshs4.3 billion to Level 5 hospitals; rehabilitation of youth polytechnics - Kshs2 billion; compensation for user fees foregone - Kshs900 million and construction of county headquarters - Kshs300 million. There is also the Road Fuel Levy Fund at Kshs9.4 billion. This is the money that should go to roads. But, of course, you only see the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) and the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) when you go to the counties. I do not want to go to the fine details of other funds, but I want to pick one of the observations that our Committee picked, which is on conditional grants. If you remember, there is a case in court which relates to the Governor of Garissa, where my friend Hon. Duale comes from. It is in court basically because there is allegation that there is misappropriation of grants given to the county governments through the World Bank. The big issue that we have is that there is no follow up as to who does the oversight of all the conditional grants that we are getting. It is not little money - it is over Kshs30 billion going to county governments this financial year. Of course, I will be making a few observations and recommendations as the Committee saw it fit. The other concern is the transfer of functions from county governments to the national Government under Article 187, specifically to the Nairobi Metropolitan Services. Cognisant of the transferred functions from the Nairobi City County Government to the national Government, the Bill has made provisions that where a county government has transferred functions to the national Government pursuant to Article 187 of the Constitution, the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) of finance, in consultation with the national Government, shall determine the cost of the transferred functions. Thereafter, the respective county assembly shall appropriate these funds and all the allocations shall not be less than the amount appropriated by the county assembly in the preceding financial year. The money appropriated shall be transferred to the national Government and the Cabinet Secretary for Finance shall prepare a report for each quarter of the financial year in respect of the expenditure of funds transferred to the national Government. An example is the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}