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{
    "id": 1382885,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1382885/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 139,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sifuna",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13599,
        "legal_name": "Sifuna Edwin Watenya",
        "slug": "sifuna-edwin-watenya"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, when I was reading this report, I was curious to hear from the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA), a constitutional commission that is supposed to make recommendations to this House under Article 216 on the basis of the sharing of revenue between the two levels of Government. You will recall that in the last financial year, the CRA recommended that counties should receive Kshs407 billion. As captured in this report, we have seen 6 per cent growth and everything has changed, including the rise of the total figure of the budget. What is the rationale then for the CRA to recommend a lower amount than what they recommended last year? Secondly, there are some telling observations by the committee in this report. I will start with the observations at page 27 of the Committee’s Report. In paragraph 54, the National Treasury told our Committee that ordinary revenue collection has experienced shortfalls since July, 2023. You have to ask yourself what is so special about July, 2023. That is when the Finance Act of 2023 kicked in. I have here with me a report from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). I have learned from the past two Sessions. There is a song that says; huu ni mwaka wa ku-force. The point of order gang is going to have a problem because we are going to come to this Floor armed. This is a market perception survey of January, 2023, by the CBK. If you go through it, some of the most damning findings are all sighting. This is a survey of industry players, employers and so on and so forth. I will begin on page 7 of the report. It states that out of this survey by the CBK, 46 per cent of employers in this country said that they cannot, definitely, will not or probably will not retain the workforce that they have at the moment. Mr. Speaker, Sir, again, I cite this report on concerns on the high cost of living and the weaker shilling. The question of the high cost of living is replicated throughout this report. That is why we are having conversations about taxation. I am hoping that my colleagues will accept that, in fact, it has a negative effect on the overall performance of the economy. Lastly, I have seen a recommendation or observation on page 10 of the report regarding pending bills. That they are now so high at 5 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). If we do not do something as a House in line with the recommendation that was brought by Sen. Osotsi and his committee on making sure that if there is any money that is sent to the counties, a portion of it has to be ringfenced for payment of pending bills. In Nairobi, we have had over Kshs1 billion shillings owed by the county government to suppliers across the county. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I conclude by saying that I support this proposal by our committee, that, in fact, the sharable revenue to the county this year should be Kshs415 billion. Sen. Orwoba, I am hoping that this time round your committee will not run away from your own recommendations the way you did last year. I thank you."
}