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{
    "id": 1419754,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1419754/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 127,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Abass",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13587,
        "legal_name": "Abass Sheikh Mohamed",
        "slug": "abass-sheikh"
    },
    "content": "Health is almost Kshs100 billion and the counties are getting less than Kshs1 billion or Kshs2 billion for the health sector. Besides, today the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) signed by the national Government will affect the counties so much since the salaries and other emoluments for the doctors have increased. Therefore, that has to be factored in the new budget of the counties. Secondly, about Kshs700 million or Kshs800 million has already been transferred to their accounts again. That is the medicinal packs, medical equipment facilities and universal health care business, National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and pensions will be increased. Additionally, there will be an annual increment of salaries. The current increase by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) and the national Government is less than six per cent. It is actually Kshs5.6 billion, while all of these services that are devolved still require the Governors to pay. We have institutions that are duplicating the work of the counties. We have agencies, for instance, the water agencies with almost over 20 agencies that are doing the same work that the counties are doing. This also applies to the roads. As they have rightly said, we have stringent measures to make and little money to spend. However, when a county is scooping money by making a water pan and another agency is making a water pan in the same county, then it beats the purpose of us coming to deal with this. It is high time, as the Senate, that we came up with a Bill that will now make all the functions of regional agencies to be devolved. We do not even need them because as it is, the county is almost doing all the work for these agencies. Mr. Speaker, Sir, one other factor which is overlooked is pending bills. I do not know how we are going to handle it as a House, but we now have a Bill on pending bills. It seems everybody is avoiding to talk about it. The governors do not want to pay it, probably because most of it has come from the previous regimes. However, a government is a government. Yesterday’s Government and today’s is the same. It takes responsibility for all commitments that have been made by the same government, whether it is the county government or national Government. Almost Kshs1.2 trillion are pending bills. We talked the other day that many Kenyans have been rendered poor. They are not able to afford the bills or go for health services. It is high time these pending bills should be paid ones and for all. I repeat that we must follow the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act. That, the first charge of every financial year must clear the pending bills. It seems governors do not even care about the pending bills. They tend to increase more and more, thinking that the next governor will pay for them. That means we are going to continue adding the pending bills. That must be stopped. I request the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) and the County Public Investments Committee (CPIC) to take very serious action against these things. It is not sustainable to be increasing pending bills every day. As much as we appreciate--- I know some of my colleagues are talking about the county issues. The governor is not the county, but only someone elected. We shall not be challenging the money that is going to the counties. We must deal with the governor as an individual. We shall not 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."
}