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{
    "id": 1047291,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1047291/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 274,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Speaker",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Very well. But, Hon. Members, even as you… I will allow you to make your contributions, but I think it is important even as we discuss this matter to take the following into account: That the House resumed its Sittings on 9th February. Is it yesterday morning that you approved the new Calendar for this Session? In that Calendar, if you check - and the Leader of the Majority Party did indicate earlier - it is a tradition we have adopted that we provide for when we resume the first sitting of another session. The Sixth Session which will be the last for the 12th Parliament, the Leader of the Majority Party did point out that it will be coming in January for the simple reason that, next year being an election year in Kenya, you will be required to approve several things. One is the Budget Policy Statement (BPS). Remember in 2017, if I could jog the memories of those who were here, the BPS was actually submitted sometime in December of 2016. That is because we had to go through several other processes. Remember the Constitution merely provides in Article 218 that the Cabinet Secretary will table before Parliament the Division of Revenue Bill and the County Allocation of Revenue Bill before 30th of April. But now, since then, there has been a lot of litigation and I hope that Members follow these things. You know there is the recent Supreme Court advisory, by way of a ruling actually, that there can never be an Appropriations Act before a Division of Revenue Act is in place. So, that puts quite some strain on what we have been used to traditionally. It means that even this year, we must pass the Division of Revenue Bill and have it assented to before we can come to think about the Appropriations Bill. Hon. Members, having resumed on 9th February 2021, and the Public Finance Management Act and our Standing Orders providing that the Cabinet Secretary shall submit to Parliament the Budget Policy Statement on or before 15th February, it became necessary for me to direct the Clerk to write to the Leader of the Majority Party and the Leader of the Minority Party to provide us with the names of people to sit in the committees that are being reconstituted – the Sessional Committees and, more importantly, the Budget and Appropriations Committee. This is because the 15th is Monday next week and it is time-bound. As departmental committees, you will all have to burn the midnight oil ploughing through the BPS and give your reports to the Budget and Appropriations Committee. If the Committee is not there, which is what I think you want, to whom will you submit your reports? Do you want to submit your reports to the Powers and Privileges Committee? Unfortunately, it is not the Committee expected to deal with that. There was need for the administration of Parliament to seek the leadership to give us the names of the people to sit in those Committees. It is for that reason that you have heard Hon. Mbadi explain that he had to travel because it was necessary that these names are in place. If we go beyond today, when do you want us to constitute the Budget and Appropriations Committee? 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."
}