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{
    "id": 1051867,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1051867/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 104,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "of cover anymore. The revenue outlook and import cover may not be realistic. If you look at sectoral expenditure, the focusing is not good. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we have spoken about post-COVID-19 economic recovery strategy. I would challenge the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Finance and Budget or any Member of the Committee to give us five points in that post-COVID-19 economic recovery strategy apart from the high-sounding words you were told by the National Treasury and stakeholders. It is mouthful and sounds smart when you say ‗post- COVID-19 economic recovery strategy,‘ but what are the five activities? You cannot have a budget this year that looks like last year's budget and you say it is post-COVID-19 economic recovery strategy. There must be certain activities that are specific towards that economic recovery. Many of them would have been the credit guarantee. How much are we putting to cushion businesses in terms of credit guarantee? Look at the hospitality industry that suffered the most. What are we doing to encourage investment in those industries that suffered the most and cushion them? We have seen the stimulus. The United States (US) Senate was discussing post- COVID-19 stimulus. When are we going to discuss such things for the people that we represent in this country, or we would rather just talk about the poetry around the economic recovery strategy? I dare say that there is actually no post-COVID-19 economic recovery strategy because we have not seen it. I would love to be proven wrong. There is lack of clarity in those policy interventions that we have. None of them is being linked to the Medium Term Economic Framework that this country is standing on. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I will just mention two things because I know that many Members want to speak. I will mention a few things on the counties. Everyone who has spoken has alluded to the fact that we had a very colourful year last year. I am glad everyone is now very pragmatic in saying that we now move forward. We have been able to secure Kshs370 billion to counties as a result of that engagement, which was robust. Sen. Kibiru said that there was a serious team and a more serious team. I wonder how the more serious team was defeated 10 times, if it is more serious. Mr. Speaker, Sir, that notwithstanding, we have seen both the Commission of Revenue Allocation (CRA) and the National Treasury trying to be a bit crafty by saying that of the Kshs370 billion, it is only Kshs316.5 billion that will be equitable share that will be applied based on the formula that we passed. Then Kshs34.6 billion or thereabout, will be conditional grants. The rest will be based on Kshs316 billion only as the baseline. The rest is conditional and then there is transfer of roles of certain Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) from the national Government to counties. We will resist that and not allow it. Our agreement was at Kshs370 billion. In fact, what we passed had a simulation of how the Kshs370 billion will be divided. Therefore, the conditional grants will come above the Kshs370 billion. I hope Members are listening keenly because the devil is in the details. It is above Kshs370 billion that we will talk about the conditional and whatever else they want to adjust, I am confident it can be done. We have seen budgets of national Government departments that run devolved functions that are bigger than budgets of entire counties. Look at agriculture and health The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}