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{
    "id": 1400523,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1400523/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 211,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Leader of Majority",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "mind that certain things need to be aligned, well and good. However, listening to the comments of many people who spoke here, including the Seconder to colleagues across the aisle, they agree that there is a need to provide this legislative framework for uniformity of rates that are paid, and the process of how to go about it. The rest are details. How you want to align it to the Constitution or how you think maybe this is an overreach for one reason or the other, those are things that we could always agree or disagree on, because it is about process. Madam Temporary Speaker, I take comfort in the fact that many of our colleagues have said there is need for this law to provide a standardised platform that applies across all 47 counties. This will enable us to even boost own source revenue in our various counties and ensure that there is taxation equity. You just do not tax those at the bottom of the pyramid who have no opportunity to go to the offices of the governor and negotiate for their favourable rates as the big landowners do. I gave the examples of multinationals. Sen. Cherarkey, you were not there at that time, but now you know. Multinationals, for example, in Nandi County, may perhaps pay a land value of early 90s, while we are in 2024. This is the law that will guide and standardise for all. Madam Temporary Speaker, this is an important piece of legislation that entrenches devolution. One of the challenges that devolution suffers is underfunding. We cannot continue like that. We have all argued before the House here and said that there will be no day now and in the future, that we will say counties or national government are now fully funded. That is why there is something called budgeting. Budgeting is political all over the world because you share finite resources. You say give priority here and there. We must begin to nurture our counties to have the culture of raising own source revenue fairly and in a manner that does not put much burden on the ordinary citizens. We must do it in a way that helps them to meet some of their objectives without over- relying on the share of the nationalised raised revenue. There is revenue that can be raised locally. That is why we are even pushing and arguing for the Natural Resources (Benefits Sharing) Bill (Senate Bills No.6 of 2022), so that many of our counties, including Makueni, where Sen. Maanzo comes from, that have a lot of natural resources, can benefit from those resources. We need to expedite such laws because we are trying to foster devolution by ensuring that counties are at least near self-sustaining on account of revenue that is raised locally, even as we divide whatever is shared nationally. Therefore, I thank you, colleagues, for your comments and the time that you have taken to contribute to this Bill. With those many remarks, Madam Temporary Speaker, I beg to reply. Further to that, in accordance with Standing Order No.66 (3), I beg to request that you defer the putting of the question until a later date. Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker."
}