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{
    "id": 1134133,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1134133/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 113,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Ledama",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 407,
        "legal_name": "Ledama Olekina",
        "slug": "ledama-olekina"
    },
    "content": "listened to the Chairperson of the Committee on Finance and Budget when he moved the Motion on the Report of the Budget Policy Statement for the year 2022 and urged us to support it. I have also keenly listened to Sen. Wetangula when he seconded this Motion. Some of the key things that I want to reiterate, revolve around our role as Parliament in determining the amount of revenue that should go to our counties. I want to invite my colleagues to look at the way this BPS has been drafted. For me, I term it as utopian and completely unattainable. We lament on a daily basis on the policies adapted by the Executive mostly from the National Treasury with regard to money going into our counties but we do little. I have heard my colleague, Sen. Wetangula, also lamenting and saying that Parliament has failed, which means we have failed. There is absolutely no reason as to why we should be here. He has also told us that this is our last year for this term. Therefore, we should be careful not to remain conveyer belts. The silent issues on this Budge Policy Statement, which I want to reiterate, revolve around the economic growth which the National Treasury is suggesting that is going to grow by around 6 per cent, yet the money which is sent to county governments remains Kshs370 billion. The question is, why is this economy growing yet there is no money being sent to counties? The other big salient issue, which should be a concern to every Kenyan and not just the Members of Parliament is borrowing locally. The Budget Policy Statement proposes that the National Treasury or Government will borrow about 4 per cent of the Kenyan GDP locally. As a businessman the first question that comes to mind is; ‘what will happen to the money which is normally available for local businesses to borrow locally if the Government is borrowing 4 percent of its GDP locally?’ Does that mean that all Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) will just close shop and go home? That is very disturbing and it ought to change. If we are to borrow, we should always consider borrowing outside the country. Every financial institution will feel secure lending money to the national Government rather than small businessman in Narok who wants to improve his wheat farming activities. Unless we remain true to the Constitution and defend our counties, we will be reduced to voting machines and conveyer belts. We will not play any role in terms of developing the economy of this nation. Mr. Speaker, Sir, in the Budget Policy Statement, there is the issue of Treasury releasing about Kshs38 billion to county governments yet there is a court ruling that conditional grants should be sent differently to the counties. It was clever for them to initially say that they are going to give the counties Kshs370 billion, which came after the long fight of over 11 votes so as to ensure that our counties do not lose money. When we got to that action, we developed a legislation that states how the conditional grants can be sent to the counties. The National Assembly came up with a different framework on how that money should be sent to counties. Until today conditional grants that are mostly supposed to help health functions, which are devolved, have never been disbursed to the counties. Equalization Fund is another issue. That money has not benefited the people who were supposed to benefit. If we do not pay attention to the text in the BPS, what"
}