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{
    "id": 1300144,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1300144/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 242,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Tabitha Mutinda",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, the passage of this proposed law by Parliament will provide a legal framework for the transfer of the funds from the Equalization Fund for allocations made in the Financial Year 2023/2024. I had stated earlier, in the first tabling, that we had a deficit of Kshs3 billion in the last disbursement. However, currently in the Kshs10 billion as I had earlier mentioned, there is the inclusion of the Kshs3 billion that had earlier been omitted. I appreciate and commend the stakeholders that were able to appear before our Committee, especially the Council of Governors (CoG) and gave their input. As you know, the CoG are playing a very key role on ensuring that their representatives are able to sit as members of this Committee in the identification of the projects. The CRA was also a key part in this. They were able to bring in the issues of naming of the specific wards that are supposed to receive these funds. It was a matter that the Committee had also noted and ensured that through the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), they were to get the correct names of the wards that are supposed to benefit from this particular fund. This is because during the amendment, these were some of the issues that came about and were to be corrected through IEBC. The International Budget Partnership Kenya was also another stakeholder, which also played a key role on how the budgeting was done. In this respect, the Committee will be proposing amendments to the Bill, so as to ensure that the Schedule reflects an appropriation of the Equalization Fund for Financial Year 2023/2024, as mentioned earlier, Kshs10,867,400,000 as indicated in Clause Three of the Bill. It shall introduce a clause to ensure that the time will not lapse on the approved appropriation under this Bill. I wish to put emphasis on that to the 34 Senators who are benefiting from this fund. It will not lapse until all the projects have been identified, approved and successfully completed and are in a level of use by the specific community. Madam Temporary Speaker, the worry that had been brought earlier in regards to the issue that the seven-year period is almost lapsing has been shortened or these funds could not be utilized because of the court case is taken care of. However, the good news is that the Bill has given room to ensure that the time will not lapse on those conditions of identification, approval and, at the same time, completion. This is not the end of this fund. Our proposal as a Committee is to ensure that all the 47 counties benefit from the Equalization Fund. There are areas or counties that were not able to benefit. Out of 47 counties we have 34. We have about 13 counties that have not benefited from this fund. What I want to state clearly is that this funding is a balance of what had been budgeted for the 34 counties on the onset. However, as a House or Committee, our role is to ensure that the distribution cuts across the 47 counties, being more specific on the villages or the ward areas whereby marginalisation has been identified on the four specific agendas. However, it is good that we carry on with the 1,424 regions, so as to set an example for any request of what will be additional. Madam Temporary Speaker, at this time, I request that my colleague, the Majority Whip, Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale seconds this Bill. I thank you."
}