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{
"id": 1169924,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1169924/?format=api",
"text_counter": 104,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kitui Central WDM-K",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Makali Mulu",
"speaker": {
"id": 1955,
"legal_name": "Benson Makali Mulu",
"slug": "benson-makali-mulu"
},
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I also support this Bill. There are some fundamental questions which we must ask ourselves as a House relating to the performance of the Senate. Our Constitution clearly states that the Senate exists to serve the interests of counties. This means that their first priority is the counties. If you look at the time that has passed since we passed the Division of Revenue Bill, until when the Senate presented it to this House, you would ask yourself whether they are really serving the interests of counties. We are now exiting, and there are a number of lessons to learn as the National Assembly, and the Senate. Matters to do with counties must be given the highest priority. Some counties are suffering as a result of not being served well by the Senate. We have been approving the money to the counties every year, and the question is how effectively the resources are used in terms of serving Kenyans. What Hon. Kilonzo and Hon. Owino were asking is: whether Kenyans are getting value for money from the resources appropriated to them. This can easily be answered by the Senate and not by the National Assembly. So, the Senate has a lot of work to do, but they are not focusing on priorities, but on other areas. Another important area is the one that Hon. Kimunya has just discussed. You will remember that we passed the County Resource Development Bill in this House. As a House, even though counties are not our priority number one, we said that this should be a one-off Bill, so that every year, we attach a schedule. They insisted that this should be an annual Bill. The County Allocation of Revenue Bill is here, but that Bill is not attached. This means that the additional resources coming from either the Government or development partners will not be available to the counties. We are all going home, awaiting new Houses of the National Assembly and the Senate. Those coming will be new people, and so, it might take time for them to settle in. Therefore, we are talking about those resources being available in July next year. So, is the Senate serving the interest of the counties? Another important issue is monitoring the budget. The coming House, which is the 13th Parliament, will need to be responsible when it comes to monitoring the budget allocated to counties. I think that unless monitored, there will be problems. For the national Government there is only one challenge which needs to be considered. This is the issue of the Exchequer release. Every day in the newspapers, we read about counties complaining how they do not get money on time. It is high time the national Government, through the National Treasury, ups it game so that counties are able to get money on time to deliver services and goods to Kenyans. Otherwise, we will continue debating here and, at the end of the day, we will never change the lives of our people down in the counties. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I am sure you are aware of this because you represent people. Our people are really suffering when it comes to delivery of goods and services in the counties. They are unable to access goods because counties are almost collapsing. They do not implement projects and where they do, this is based on their own interests, forgetting about basic requirements like health. I totally agree with Hon Owino that in most counties, the health sector is almost collapsing. You cannot imagine a county economy doing well when its people cannot get treatment when they are sick and are unable to access drugs and simple things like x-rays. It is important that the Senate takes its responsibilities seriously. I want to challenge the 3rd Senate, which will be coming on board to take the matters we are discussing here today seriously so that they start on the right footing. Hon. Deputy Speaker, with those many remarks, I support. 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."
}