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{
    "id": 1216504,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1216504/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 261,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wambua",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13199,
        "legal_name": "Enoch Kiio Wambua",
        "slug": "enoch-kiio-wambua"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. From the onset, I congratulate and thank Sen. Oketch Gicheru for bringing up this matter on the Floor of the House through a Statement. The situation at KRA and the old regime of remittance of revenues to counties is a matter that we need a substantive Motion to deal with. Mr. Speaker, Sir, yesterday, you allowed me, alongside six other colleagues, to go to Kitui County Assembly for my annual address to the County Assembly. One of the things that the County Assembly of Kitui bitterly complained about is the many instances that they have been pushed against the wall by KRA on matters revenue. It is basic knowledge. You can only pay or deduct from an employee’s salary Pay as You Earn (PAYE) if the salary is available in the first place. If there is no salary from where to deduct PAYE, then you cannot deduct it. It is not the responsibility of county governments to provide to themselves monies to pay their employees. County governments receive their share of revenue through this Senate. Through the annual County Allocation of Revenue Bill, we horizontally share money among counties. The Public Finance Management Act is very clear that once this decision is made and the disbursement schedules are passed, there are timelines given for remittance of monies to counties, to ensure that they run their budgets as they should. Mr. Speaker, Sir, yesterday, when I visited the Governor of Kitui County, I was shocked. I also learnt that the last time that the counties received their batch of remittance was in November last year. Counties are supposed to be rolling out programmes and paying salaries yet when they do not pay salaries and remit PAYE, National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), they are penalized. The core responsibility of this Senate is to protect counties and their governments. That is one area that this House needs to close ranks. As I said, I challenge Sen. Oketch Gicheru to bring a substantive Motion beyond summoning KRA to appear before a Committee of the Whole, so that we discuss this matter of remitting revenues to counties. Mr. Speaker, Sir, what we are doing inadvertently is presiding over the death of devolution. This is because if monies are not available to run programmes in counties, then we will have a reversal of the gains that we have made in devolution. With those remarks, I support."
}