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{
"id": 1231397,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1231397/?format=api",
"text_counter": 251,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
"speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
"speaker": {
"id": 13165,
"legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
"slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
},
"content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Division of Revenue Bill (National Assembly Bills No.9 of 2023) was published on 20th March, 2023 and passed by the National Assembly on the same day. As you have just highlighted a few minutes ago, this Bill has got statutory timelines and, therefore, their Standing Orders that are very similar to ours allow for the Bill to commence and be concluded upon within such a short time. Therefore, they began the Bill on 20th March, 2023 and concluded it on the same day, given the urgency of this matter. Thereafter, this Bill was referred to us for consideration. Maybe for those that are considering this Bill for the first time, the principal object of any Division of Revenue Bill is to provide for equitable division of revenue raised nationally, between the national and county levels of Government for the Financial Year 2023/2024, in accordance with Article 203(2) of the Constitution. Mr. Speaker, Sir, as you are aware, the division of revenue is prepared in line with Article 218 of our Constitution, which provides for the basis upon which this exercise is carried out. Of course, the vertical sharing of revenue raised nationally between the national and county Government, as guided in Article 202 of the Constitution, requires that revenue raised nationally should be shared equitably between the national and the county governments for service delivery and performance of all functions of the attached level of governments. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we do appreciate that constitutionally, there are functions for the county governments and the national Government as per the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution. One of the very difficult exercises that Parliament has to do at this particular time of the year is to bring to the Table of Parliament the cake that has been baked nationally and share it equitably - not equally, sometimes people confuse the two - between the national Government and county governments. We try and push so that both levels of Government complete the functions that have been assigned to them. I say this with nostalgia, having served in the Committee on Finance and Budget for close to nine years. I know this is a debate that we have had on and off, between either us, as the Senate and the National Treasury on which level of Government is underfunded. Unfortunately, we have never responded fully to this particular question because as you would expect, county governments appear before us through the Chairperson of their Committee on Finance and Budget, and demand of us, as Senators, that, please, we need to fund healthcare, agriculture and pay health workers, as you have heard in the case of Kisumu and many other counties that are being mentioned before us. If you speak to our colleagues who sit in the Committee on Finance and Budget and follow through the schedule, most of the time, we normally listen to the Council of Governors (CoG), then immediately after, listen to the National Treasury, who come wearing two hats. First is with a proposal on what they think would be an equitable distribution of resources between the two levels of Government but they immediately switch back to be representatives of the national Government. Then, they propose to the Committee, that while you are thinking about counties, please, remember that even us, as a country, have many functions, most of which continue to remain underfunded. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I have read through the report that was tabled and seen some of the very not so encouraging revelations that have come from the National Treasury, of things that the country has not been able to do in the last 10 to 20 years."
}