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{
"id": 1160434,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1160434/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Sakaja",
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"speaker": {
"id": 13131,
"legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
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"content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am grateful to Sen. Kibiru for raising this matter. The Committee on Finance and Budget has stood on its ground to make sure that before we deal with the Division of Revenue Bill, we address the County Government Grants Bill. It is a very important issue. I prevail upon the leadership of the Senate Majority and Minority leaders. I am glad Sen. Orengo has spoken to balance the pressure which I am sure could be for the interest of the House. We are talking of Kshs39 billion. I know for me, it is Kshs800 million, for Nairobi. As I said yesterday in the kamukunji, if we do not sort out this now, before the Third Stage and Division, we might as well just forget about it. I am happy that the Mediation Committee on County Government Grants Bill is meeting tomorrow at 10.00 a.m. Mr. Speaker, Sir, in fact, with your colleague on the other House, you have the authority to make them meet now and bring us the report. I am sure that we will have 47 Members voting, “Yes” with or without amendments. Let us set a precedence the same way the Speaker of the National Assembly said that they will not deal with the budget estimates before the Division of Revenue Bill has gone there. Then the precedence the Senate would have set, is that before the Division of Revenue Bill is done, we sort out the County Governments Grants Bill. The Director, Parliamentary Budget Office, told us very clearly yesterday that until that is done, the Division of Revenue Bill is hanging because we do not know how to apply that Kshs37 billion. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we are grateful for the tremendous progress. Yesterday, we consulted with the Leadership. I am sure Sen. Kibiru has gone to consult further. Once they meet by 10.00 a.m., we will be very ready to pass it. We should not vote today, before we see the mediation report. It is just 24 hours. It is just one sitting. It will not upset the calendar in a big way. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I assure Members that if we pass the Division of Revenue Bill today, you will never see the County Governments Grants Bill. We want this money after August. You will need it in Siaya. I need some of it in Nairobi. Remember, out of the Kshs39 billion, it is only Kshs7 billion that is from the national Government. The rest of this money is from donors. A lot of it is for the health sector which is suffering. Possibly, this money has been diverted or gone to other projects but what behooves us as a Senate is to protect it. You can never give out your leverage before going to the table. There is no way we can vote, then go to mediation tomorrow. They will walk out. We have been in this mediation processes many times. Without leverage at mediation, we will look at each other in the eye, then they will say, we can go to hell and there is nothing we can do. The only leverage that we have is the Third Reading. So, let us wait for it. I am grateful and agree with Sen. Orengo."
}