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{
    "id": 1406040,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1406040/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 368,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Osotsi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13588,
        "legal_name": "Osotsi Godfrey Otieno",
        "slug": "osotsi-godfrey-otieno"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for this opportunity to make my valid contributions on the Division of Revenue Bill, 2024. From the onset, I support it, but with amendments that the committee is proposing that the shareable revenue to the counties be Kshs415.9 billion. We cannot be seen to be going against our word. In this House, we passed the BPS and said we would like the share of the counties to be Kshs415.9 billion. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is a surprise that the National Assembly has said Kshs391 billion. We are in this House to represent our counties. We are in this House because of Article 96 of the Constitution - to protect county governments and their interests. We cannot go for a lower figure of Kshs391 billion. I have heard the Senate Majority Leader say that if we disagree with the National Assembly, it will go to the Mediation Committee. That is well and good. This is because we are here to look after the counties and protect their interests and not the interest of the national Government. In any case, it is not right at all that this Bill has to originate from the National Assembly. This is a very crucial piece of legislation that touches on our counties and it is important that such a Bill originates from the National Assembly so that we do not go through murky games like what the Chairperson of the Committee on Finance and Budget has alluded to, like having deliberate errors in this Bill. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the equitable share base is indicated to be Kshs374 billion, whereas it is supposed to be Kshs385 billion. Then they are saying that it is going to increase with Kshs6.6 billion. That is not true. We passed Kshs385 billion last year and, therefore, that is the base. I request colleagues in this House to stand firm and approve the recommendations by the committee that the shareable revenue for our counties be Kshs415.9 billion. I will comment on the programmes that the national Government is running with county governments and I will give the example of the programme on CHPs. Primary health care is a devolved function. Why would the national Government want to get involved in programmes which are devolved and pretend to want to fund them halfway, when they should just send all the money to counties? Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I am told that some CHPs have not been paid. In my county, they have gone for three months without being paid their stipend because of delays in releasing the counterpart share from the national Government. We also have the programme of county industrial parks. This is another white elephant in the making. The arrangement was that counties give 50 per cent and the national Government, 50 per cent as well. The then Cabinet Secretary for Industry, Trade and Enterprise Development was busy running up and down, launching the industrial parks. They even launched in my county even though the national Government had not budgeted for the money. The County Assembly had not even approved any money to that programme. That also affected many other counties. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}