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{
    "id": 1075733,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1075733/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 329,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Ochillo-Ayacko",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "From my humble seat, I have identified the National Treasury as the biggest threat to devolution. The current occupants of offices in the National Treasury hardly respond to our requests for meetings. In fact, without pre-empting a report that might come here, they hardly respond when it comes to providing information or supporting the position that this House pushes for. I do not know why they do so, but perhaps they live in another world and reality will come upon them because they are the ones that are sabotaging devolution. The first aspect of funds that sabotages devolution is inadequacy in terms of provision of such funds and that was seen when we were working on the formula. It was amplified when we were working on the Division of Revenue Bill (DORB) and perhaps settled when we agreed on an amount that was higher than what we were previously receiving and when there was guarantee by the Executive that the figures to be distributed or to be shared would be increased by Kshs70 billion. So, we can all sit easy and theoretically or in terms of paper talk about the availability of additional an Kshs70 billion to be shared among our 47 counties in this County Allocation of Revenue Bill (CARB). However, the problem does not end there. The problem is made worse by irregular and late disbursements by the same National Treasury. They collect the money, disburse when they think they should. They have no way of engaging counties and assuring counties of the reliability of their disbursement schedule yet, we as legislators sit here, provide a schedule which is law and they must comply with, but they do not do that. So, county governments, including Migori where I reside and represent here, do not receive money in time. You will find that children being born in Kuria, Kehancha Referral, Nyatike Referral and other places do not get the attention that they should get. I think this problem is replicated or spread among all other Kenyan counties. It is the National Treasury that does not indicate or engage the Committee or the Governors. We have talked to the national Treasury and it is like talking to a stone; the stone hears but never responds, the hyena said so. I think the hyena must be saying that from Tsavo in Taita Taveta County that we have been discussing. The hyena must be saying that it has already told the rock because we keep on talking to them about this and we never get a response and that is really tragic. Counties are owed a lot of money and we are trying to fix it, but the impunity exhibited there is one that should be dealt with expeditiously by this House. As we speak today, a lot of monies are owed, pending bills are owed, statutory deductions are owed and they attract penalties. The same national Treasury that does not remit money in time has created through us some other entities called the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and other entities that collect statutory deductions from counties. They penalise people for failure to remit them in time. The penalties are significant or substantial amounts of money. So, these things do not make sense. The counties cannot comply with plans or cannot operate within the plans that they gave out. The counties are given at the very last"
}