Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1015337,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1015337/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 152,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Gichugu, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Gichimu Githinji",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13341,
        "legal_name": "Robert Gichimu Githinji",
        "slug": "robert-gichimu-githinji"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute. I will start by thanking the Budget and Appropriations Committee for delivering this to this House within the shortest time possible. As the Houses of Parliament, we should also be giving the constitutional commissions which have been mandated with the responsibilities of certain functions, like the CRA, their due respect in delivering their mandate. This is a Commission which has experts who are drawn from all spheres for the purposes of considering matters of revenue allocation. So, the Senate should not have assumed that they know better than the CRA. One of my worries about this kind of formula is that for the next four to five years that we are passing this formula to operate, we will still be using the 2009 population census. Even if this country is able to stabilise economically and raise Kshs370 billion and above for allocation to the counties, we will still be using the 2009 population census results which were controversial. In that case, some counties which are highly populated will miss out on the rightful share of revenue out of this formula. Another issue that I want to raise is that, by passing this formula, – and that is a critical question that also came up with Hon. Pukose – are we obligating ourselves, as a House, that we must pass a budget worth Kshs370 billion plus for the counties in the next financial year? I have a different opinion because a budget cannot be made in anticipation. It can only be made when that time comes. Therefore, it means that this formula might not be workable going forward, apart from this year whereby nothing is neither being added nor subtracted from the previous budget of the Financial Year 2019/2020. Another issue is that the inability of the Senate to pass this formula in a record 10 times shows that this is a House which has very little to do. That is because if it was this House, we would not have that luxury of time to meet every other week to discuss a single issue. So, it means that the Senate ought to, probably, in future, consider concentrating more on county matters and also reduce the work in their committees especially of overseeing national Government institutions where we are also likely to be having different reports from committees of the National Assembly and the Senate. For the interest of this country and way forward, irrespective of the many questions that are arising out of this process, I support the Motion for this country to move forward. Again, I thank the Budget and Appropriations Committee for the good work which they did fast enough. Thank you."
}