Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 1102354,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1102354/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 238,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Olekina",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 407,
        "legal_name": "Ledama Olekina",
        "slug": "ledama-olekina"
    },
    "content": "received a penny yet we expect counties to be able to work and function. We expect bills to be paid. The reason why we have a Constitution is to ensure that we deter these acts of negligence or incompetence from the Executive. Article 219 is very clear, a share of a county revenue which is raised by the National Government must be transferred without undue delay. How do you explain the 38 day delay which is contrary to the law? The law says 15 days after the approval of the cash disbursement schedule. This House approved CARA on 30th June before the financial year began. If we really care about our counties and about how people perform their roles, we should actually try to observe the rule of law. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I want to commend the Committee for having set a timeline on when the National Treasury should send the monies to counties. In their report the Committee clearly indicated that within seven days a total of Kshs62.9 billion be disbursed to the county governments. If that money is not disbursed to the county governments, there is really no reason as to why we should have county governments in the first place. The National Government should be doing everything. If Article 219 requires the money to be sent immediately then what else are we doing and the Treasury is refusing? I would like to recommend to the Committee on Finance and Budget to summon the CS, Treasury to give specific reasons as to why county governments do not have money and why they have violated the rule of law. The courts have been very good to us Kenyans. They have been good to the rule of law but must someone go to court and say county governments do not have money? As I second this, I am quite happy with the Committee giving the National Treasury seven days. I hope that the Committee will give the Treasury seven days and all Senators will be here. I had hoped that today all Senators would be here so that as soon as we finish debating this Motion we can pass it. I can see our Minority Whip here and I hope that the Whips can mobilize Senators who can be able to vote online. When I look around, if it was the era where we did not have online sittings we would not have quorum to continue sitting here. This is something which is very sad and I hope that this Senate will be able to rise to the occasion for once during this year and ensure that the monies are sent to the county governments. We should not be calling governors here to come and explain why they have not paid bills yet it is the Treasury which is not sending money; it is this House which is also not putting its foot on the ground to ensure that the counties receive the money they are supposed to receive. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as I conclude, I want to call upon your office to fast- track the County Governments Grants Bill to ensure that the county governments can be able to receive the grants because this is the first time that the cash disbursement schedule does not include the money which is sent to counties as conditional grants. If we dilly dally and we go through the same process of Bills, public participation, it comes back here for first and second reading and when we finish here it goes to the National Assembly where it takes another three or four months by the time county"
}