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{
"id": 1065761,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1065761/?format=api",
"text_counter": 228,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kiharu, JP",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Ndindi Nyoro",
"speaker": {
"id": 13370,
"legal_name": "Samson Ndindi Nyoro",
"slug": "samson-ndindi-nyoro"
},
"content": "Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, if you add the same to the debt that is guaranteed by the Government of Kenya to the counties and other State-Owned Enterprises(SOEs) of around Kshs3.4 trillion, the entire debt adds to beyond Kshs11 trillion. This is over 110 per cent of our GDP, which is estimated at around Kshs10 trillion. In my opinion, there are other issues that we would have been recalled to discuss other than BBI. They are more of a priority and pressing. I have gone through the document. I will also make some other remarks as I finalise to demystify some issues that are being used to sell BBI to Kenyans, and especially going back to my cocoon of Mount Kenya region. When the promoters and their surrogates came to our region, they were peddling a carrot of something they are calling additional constituencies. I want to be forthright, after going through the Bill, out of the 70 constituencies that are being promised by this Bill, Mount Kenya is benefiting by getting only 17 constituencies. Even in proportion to our population, the number of constituencies that we are getting is less than what we deserve. Nyeri County, with a population of close to 800,000 residents, is not getting any additional constituency. Kajiado County, with a much lower population of 687,000 based on the 2019 Census, is getting an additional three constituencies. Murang’a County, where I come from and with a population of in excess of one million residents, is getting only one constituency. Compare the same with Kwale County that is getting five additional constituencies with a population of around 866,000 residents. Nyandarua County, with a population of over 650,000 residents, is getting none while another county of a much lower population, like Narok County, is getting three additional constituencies. The famous Tharaka Nithi County that always count their votes last, with a population of over 400,000 residents, is getting zero additional constituencies while we see other counties with much smaller populations getting additional constituencies. Therefore, this BBI is skewed against Mount Kenya region. Partly, that is the reason as a region we are saying “No.” There is another carrot about devolution and the fact that they are misguiding our people that there is something in this Bill in as far as the one man, one vote, one shilling clarion call is concerned. The current formula that shares money amongst the counties is more favourable to the counties of Mount Kenya than the formula contained in the Bill presented before us. As we all know, the Ward Development Fund is something we can create without spending taxpayers’ money though a referendum. I want to talk about a few national issues. One is on the 35 per cent that we purport we will be taking to the counties. I want to point to this administration and even ask our President and the entire Government of Kenya what is restricting them from giving the counties 15, 35 or even 50 per cent of the sharable revenue. There is nothing restricting the current administration from giving the counties additional money. Two, as we purport that we would be adding more money to our counties, with the current threshold, our MCAs and county staff have not been paid for the last four months. What is in BBI that beholds the distribution is producing more funds to be channelled to the counties? The issue of inclusivity is far-fetched. Creating five top positions and giving them to some political elites – those who would be peddling and hawking their communities – will bring about inclusivity. Kenya is an ethno-linguistically fragmented nation. We have many nations like Kenya, including Switzerland and Indonesia which, instead of going through such a process, they bit the bullet and did what is required to build a cohesive nation within a state. 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."
}