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{
    "id": 1408719,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1408719/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 167,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Oburu",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 194,
        "legal_name": "Oburu Ngona Odinga",
        "slug": "oburu-odinga"
    },
    "content": "I am doing this because I am happy with the way the Senate this time is handling this Bill. Last year, when we discussed this issue, we were divided. We argued on whether to increase or not and whether to increase to the level recommended by CRA or leave it at the level passed by the National Assembly. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, today we have a substantial increase recommended by our Committee on Finance and Budget. When you increase the allocation from Kshs385 billion to Kshs391 billion, that increase of Kshs6 billion does not even meet the inflation. When you talk of increment, there is increment in nominal terms and increment in real terms. Increment in real terms takes inflation into consideration. Once you knock out the inflation, then you can consider whether you have actually increased the budget. When you do not take that into consideration and you talk about nominal increment, you are missing the point because you are giving them less than what it is, if it is less than the increment in terms of inflation. This increment as recommended by our Committee on Finance and Budget will go a long way in meeting some of the needs of our counties. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, having spoken about the need to increase allocation to the counties, I would like to say that our counties need to be tightly controlled. We need to have controlled measures to make sure that they do not pocket monies meant to offer services to our people. When devolution was introduced in Nigeria, more than 50 per cent of the governors went to jail because they did not know how to run a devolved system. They thought it was devolving corruption and ‘eating’ of money. After tight measures were introduced, devolution is now functioning very well. We have not managed in our country. We hear governors are being interrogated here and there, but none of them who steal money from the public ever goes where they should be. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, there is also the issue of pending bills that are killing businesses. They are making life very difficult for people who are not paid. I have seen the list of pending bills. Instead of reducing pending bills, some counties are increasing them. This is very serious, because counties are supposed to take into consideration the people to whom they are offering services. It is serious that they are still adding a problem to an already big problem. The Senate needs to take cognition of this and take some measures to deal with such counties who instead of reducing, are increasing the pending bills. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I do not want to say much more on this issue. When counties make statutory deductions from their employees, such as National Social Security Fund (NSSF), National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), the Pay As You Earn (PAYE), they retain these revenues and convert them into their own use. This is a very serious matter because there are people who are supposed to earn pensions, but do not because there are no remittances. Others want to access hospitals but they cannot because counties have not remitted money to pay for the hospital insurance. This is an issue which also needs serious attention because counties are not supposed to use monies that they have deducted from their employees. This is not part of their money. 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."
}