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{
    "id": 1291338,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1291338/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 248,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for the chance to contribute to the County Government Additional Allocations Bill (National Assembly Bills No. 23 of 2023). This is an important Bill in the sense that it is a child of the Senate. Those who have served long enough in the Budget and Finance Committee know that before there was something called ‘the condition and unconditional grants’. Many county governments would additionally receive resources through various schemes and policies of the national Government without due regard to any procedure and reference to any Committee of the Senate. At the Budget and Finance Committee, we began to raise the concerns about the increasing number of allocations that were being sent to county governments, initially they were in small amounts of Kshs2 billion or Kshs3 billion. Subsequently, when we realized the figures were growing over and above tens of billions, as a Senate, we raised the concerns about the need to have a formula and establish mechanisms through which any additional funds that go to our counties are determined. Also, the assurance thereof that there is no systemic process in which other counties are being marginalized. This House serves to protect the interests of counties and their governments. After years of haggling about this conversation, the Committee on Budget and Finance developed this mechanism. First, the formula through which you make the determination of what is condition or what is unconditional and the spread-out of how each county benefit. The same will be evident in the Bill. If you read through the First, Second and Third Schedules, you will see counties that do not have minerals. However, I do not believe that there are counties that do not have minerals. I will refer to them as counties that have not exploited their mineral activities and, therefore, do not benefit under the Third Schedule in the mineral collections. I listened to the Senator who contributed before me speak on the issue of fines. This Bill is a brainchild of the Senate, after rigorous work and thoughts of colleague Senators on what we need to do. Having a determined formula and ways in which you send additional resources to our counties. I am happy and proud that this House has made a significant contribution in entrenching and furthering devolution. This is one of the great tenets of why this House exist. The Bill before us, sets out the formula and determination of the proceeds of loans and grants from development partners and other programmes that the national Government is running in collaboration with the county Government. I must commend this administration for one thing that most people do not appreciate and celebrate. This administration has finally unlocked the constitutional dictates of Article 189 of the Constitution on the cooperation between counties and the national Government. Many are the times that there were programmes being run – like the leased medical equipment, which is part of the funds that are on this schedule – where decisions on procurement, allocation, determination of who deserves what were concluded in Nairobi with minimal or no regard to our county government."
}