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{
    "id": 1231511,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1231511/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 365,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Osotsi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13588,
        "legal_name": "Osotsi Godfrey Otieno",
        "slug": "osotsi-godfrey-otieno"
    },
    "content": "significant impact on social wellbeing of the citizens, Vision 2030, significant resource investment and BPS. We need clarity on what ‘national interest’ is. This is because that would then ensure that we do equitable division of revenue between the two levels of Government. Mr. Speaker, Sir, on the issue of national obligations, again, how I wish there was some clarification on this. We are talking about Kshs674 million allocated to this national obligation. They have also allocated Kshs11 billion to the additional allocation for nationally raised revenue. We have seen in our counties how the additional allocation funds have been misused There have been statements, even in this House around how the additional allocation has been used especially in agriculture. The relevant committees should ensure that we tighten controls around the issue of additional allocation and especially donor funds. We have seen how World Bank funds in agriculture have been misused. In the Bill, the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) made a recommendation that we reinstate the physical effort parameter so that we can encourage our counties to collect more own source revenue and not depend fully on the money generated from the national Government. This will really help our counties. At the moment, operations in our counties have been grounded largely because they have not received their disbursement from January to March 2023. This is a concern to many people that the national Government is undermining the county government. We have to say that. We should not fear to say this because, if you are not able to disburse money for three to four months, how do you expect the county governments to run? Mr. Speaker, Sir, this House exists to protect devolution. One of the things that I would love to do as a legislator is to solve the problem of finance management in this country. Why should the national Government be in full control of the National Treasury? So that we have one level of Government determining how and when money will be disbursed, we need to have a conversation around the function of the National Treasury. The Constitution is very clear. In fact, it says that we need to have a legislation on the management of the National Treasury. That is one issue that I look forward, as a Senator, to get involved in so that we can give financial independence and strength to our counties. We have made our governors to be beggars. They come to Nairobi almost every week and spend long hours at the National Treasury chasing for their disbursement of money. It is very painful. This House has to do something about it because our own people who are supposed to benefit from this money are not able to. People have not earned salaries. In my own county, for three months, there are no salaries and they are supposed to be working. You can imagine, can this people who do not earn a salary be productive in their jobs? They cannot. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we require a serious conversation around the issue of disbursement of funds. One of the things we will do after passing this DORA would be to pass the disbursement schedule. Why do we pass this disbursement schedule if the National Treasury is not abiding by it? Does it mean that this House is powerless? We"
}