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"id": 1408697,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1408697/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. M. Kajwang’",
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"speaker": {
"id": 13162,
"legal_name": "Moses Otieno Kajwang'",
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"content": "CAIPs because we have used one model and set one common budget for the 47 counties without differentiation. We must differentiate because our counties have got different comparative advantages. However, counties are still required to make matching contributions for the establishment of those aggregation parks. Mr. Speaker, Sir, beside Kshs415 billion that we are dealing with today, let us be alive that the revenues of counties do not necessarily come from the Consolidated Fund. Counties have got revenue raising ability. The law allows them to impose certain taxes that do not conflict with the national Government. The Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) has estimated the own source revenue potential of counties to be at Kshs260 billion. If counties were to optimize their revenue collection systems, procedures and processes, then counties would have at least an additional Kshs200 billion available to them to carry out development. That would bring the money available to counties to close to Kshs600 billion. That is not a bad amount. Sometimes, we might need to get to the point where we are saying we should not be throwing more money at the problem. We should be throwing more quality, more professionalism, more integrity and more transparency in counties. There are counties where money is not a problem. I can cite a few counties where when some governors left office, they did so with a wage bill, which was less than 20 per cent. Three or four years later, when these governors are succeeded, you find the wage bills have climbed to 35 per cent overnight. Many a time, it is not a problem of money. It is just a problem of diligence, professionalism and integrity. Mr. Speaker, Sir, this Bill also addresses the Equalization Fund. I wish Sen. Faki was present. I have seen him around. I want to remind him and the House that when we endorsed the Regulations of the Equalization Fund, there was a commitment by the National Treasury that they would revise the Regulations, bring them back here and ensure they were fit for purpose. The Regulations were brought in a rush to respond to political pressure. If you go back and look at the Regulations on the Equalization Fund, you will find that it is controlled by County Commissioners. It has representatives Members of the National Assembly and other elected cadres, yet the Senate, which is a critical part, has been left out. Mr. Speaker, Sir, when we come to look at the conditional grants, which is also another financing line for county Governments, we need to tighten the accountability mechanisms on that. Just this afternoon, I know there is a Member who sought a statement on the National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project (NAGRIP), a conditional grant that was utterly mismanaged in counties. We have raised that with the Office of the Auditor General (OAG), who has committed to carry out value for money audit. Just the other day, the Senate Finance and Budget Committee, led by Sen. Ali Roba and the Senate Climate Caucus, retreated to review the Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLOCA) conditional grants. All this is money available to counties but ring-fenced to specific purposes. 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."
}