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"id": 1226025,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1226025/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Ugenya, MDG",
"speaker_title": "Hon. David Ochieng’",
"speaker": {
"id": 2955,
"legal_name": "David Ouma Ochieng'",
"slug": "david-ouma-ochieng"
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"content": "We do not hear of the issue of own-source revenue in this Bill. We do no hear how much Siaya or Busia County raised on own-source revenue. In fact, we are told that in some counties, this money is raised in cash. It is not even receipted and no one knows how much it is. That is why in a meeting this morning, I was telling my chairperson that a way must be found to ensure that not just the Senate, but even the National Assembly, gets to know how much money Siaya, Kisumu or Nairobi counties have raised in their own-source revenue every year. Even as we do those allocations and as we talk about how the Government refused to give them more money, we need to know how much they are raising in those counties, which revenue measures they are using and where the money goes. As we raise this money, the counties should have declared… They go around saying that they are governments – which I agree with – but if they are governments, they must also show us how responsible they are by disclosing how much they are raising every year, and how they are supporting themselves as counties. This is very important because it will help us know that along the way, the counties will become sustainable units that can survive on their own. That is what was meant to happen at the end of the day. I urge this Assembly that in case, along the year, times become better, and more monies are raised by the national Government, we will make it a practice that more can be sent down to the counties regardless of how much we raise today. If, for example, along the year, the economy grows and the KRA is able to collect more money, and we realise that the Government is raising more, then there is nothing harmful in saying: “This year, we raised a billion more, can each county get Ksh100 million more from what we have raised?” This is so that this National Assembly is seen to not only support devolution, but share resources not just horizontally, but also vertically when things are better. We are in this together as a people and country. When the counties are doing well, the national Government will do well. Hon. Speaker, something has been talked about here that I must talk about. That, as we now seek to stabilise the economy, agriculture is still the backbone of this county. However, there is something that we missed out that hurt agriculture so much today – and someone mentioned it earlier – the agricultural extension services. How I wish we had money in this particular Bill for conditional grants to counties to extend extension services to county governments, so that they are able to support farmers. I know that a number of counties are giving seeds. Some counties, for a long time, gave out cows, bulls and goats. But in most of 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."
}