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{
    "id": 1186010,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1186010/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 255,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "justification for the Senate to agree to a particular formula and a distribution that does not favour certain counties over others. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I appreciate the work that this Committee has done. I know they have not reached an agreement with the National Treasury. Perhaps that is part of the reasons the report is not here. I strongly believe that by Tuesday, when you are likely to conclude on the Third Reading of this Bill, they will have given us the justifications for the amendments that they want us to separate between this one and the Equalisation Fund because it is part of the proposal that is coming. We should treat it separately. When we get that justification and read the report, we will then begin to appreciate and understand the genius and importance of this Bill. Colleague Senators need to go through the column of the appendixes of the Bill in the third schedule of what is due to their counties in the Equalisation Fund and also what is due as additional allocations to their counties under Appendix 3. For example, Kericho County, which I represent, for the last two financial years, has not accessed close to Kshs700 million. That is a lot of money. Narok County is number 33, theirs should be somewhere in excess of Kshs1 billion if you add all the columns from (a) to (m). Sen. Olekina, that is a lot of money that your county has missed out on. That is why we need to be in this House. That is why earlier we were wondering where colleagues are when dealing with some of these matters. You need to speak, read the column and appreciate our county Governors. On many occasions, we do not agree with our Governors. However, when they say, “Senators you are delaying us”, I agree with them and say we should have done better. A figure of Kshs700 million in a county like Kericho and Kshs1 billion in Narok County can change lives. I am sure in Nairobi City County, Mombasa County and all other counties that are represented here, the figure could be way bigger. The beauty of it all, the information that we have and the presentation from National Treasury is that this money is in existence and in the County Revenue Fund (CRF) account of many of these counties only awaiting the provident legislation which is here for counties to access. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I appreciate the good work that colleague Senators have done. I emphasize that, if possible, we push through and ensure that we conclude on Second Reading today. When this House resumes on Tuesday next week, I believe the Committee will be ready with their report so that we proceed to Third Reading and send the message to the National Assembly. The two weeks that they have should be sufficient for them to conclude on this Bill so that by the time we break for December holidays, counties are able to access these funds. Citizens are beginning to get restless; I have seen them beginning to ask Governors questions on why they are taking too long yet they promised so many things. The citizens are saying, ‘We need drugs in our hospitals, better roads, Early Childhood Development (ECD) classrooms,’ and all those devolved functions that many of our county Governors promised."
}