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{
    "id": 1226036,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1226036/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 222,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Funyula, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Ojiambo Oundo",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " I stand to support the Division of Revenue Bill. In view of the shortened time, allow me to make two important remarks. Number one, the people who fought for devolution did not intend devolution to be a centre of expenditure. They thought devolution was going to be a centre of production and contribute towards the Exchequer and national development. As we stand, governors spend 99 per cent of their time whining that they have not received any money from the national Government; that they have not done what and what. I have challenged them many times. They never used to receive much from the national Government during the days of local authorities and yet, they used to run their programmes. It is a wakeup call to all county governors and county governments to put in place adequate measures to collect enough internal own-sourced revenue to fund quite a number of activities. For example, the Nairobi City County would surely never require any money from the national Government. They have enough resources. They have land rates and licences. They have many sources of revenue all over. We should stop this habit once and for all. Secondly, I echo what my colleagues have said, that there is a lot of pilferage. There is a lot of loss of money in counties, probably much more than we lose at the national level. Again, it is a wakeup call again to governors to put in place measures and ensure that devolution funds are felt all over, the way the NG-CDF has been felt in every village in this country. On pending bills, they should not be a political tool that any new governor who is coming in is punishing contractors who worked under the previous government to settle political scores. Just as we do at the national government, they must be a first charge. Once verified, they must be paid immediately. Finally, I urge county governments that, once they receive their money, to rid themselves of this big boy mentality of always rushing to the national Government, hobbling from one state department to another looking for the freebies that are called development. They have their money. Let their money work for them. There is no money left here in the national Government to give to county governments. They have the sharable revenue of Ksh385 billion. Let them go and work with that money instead of leaving for Nairobi, spending money taking 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."
}