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{
"id": 1440042,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1440042/?format=api",
"text_counter": 258,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kitui Central, WDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu",
"speaker": null,
"content": "As I do so, I observe that the Equalisation Fund was a very good idea. That is why it is part of our Constitution. The idea was to ensure that areas marginalised by earlier development programmes and policies catch up with the rest of the country. That is why the allocation of 0.5 per cent of the audited revenue is supposed to go to the Equalisation Fund. Looking at the Constitution, this Fund was supposed to be running for 20 years from 2010. Over time, this Fund has faced a number of challenges. They have made the Fund ineffective in achieving the intended objectives. Delayed funding is one of the challenges. Just as Hon. Emaase has said, looking at what should have been allocated as of now verses what has been allocated, you realise that we have many years without allocating as per the Constitution. That is why the balance of that Ksh39.7 billion, which has not been allocated, is a disservice to marginalised areas. As we debate this Bill, it is important that this House seriously takes the matter of budgeting for and releasing the arrears. Initially, 14 counties had been identified to benefit from this Fund. The counties have since increased to 34. That has caused the money to be thinly spread to many counties. As a result, we end up having micro-projects that do not have the huge impact we would have if we had 14 counties. As we spread these resources thinly, it is important for us to think about their impact. Initially, they were supposed to cater for infrastructure, electricity and health issues. In situations where we now start addressing dispensaries all over the country, the Fund might not have as much impact as it should. The other important thing is the serious implementation challenge the Fund has faced. We thought that by having a Board, things would move smoothly. But over time, we have realised that the Board is also a major hindrance to the implementation. We need to streamline the implementation process. We might have no choice, as a House, but to extend the allowed period of 20 years beyond that. We have done over 10 years, yet nothing is moving on the ground, and even if there is anything moving, it is very little. Just imagine if we will be able to capture all these resources in the next 10 years. Implementation matters should be taken up seriously by this House. That is why I support the recommendation that we approve this Bill and within 30 days, we come up with a very clear framework of releasing the arrears and also implementation. On the issue of the Ksh790 million, which the Senators are proposing, it is caused by the practice of the National Treasury of always reducing resources of the Equalisation Fund to sort out other problems in the country with a claim that they would replenish the money in the following financial year. The law says that once the money is allocated, it should not be touched. This is a serious matter. As a House, we need to make sure that we strictly adhere to the financial requirement that once the money is allocated or appropriated to the Equalization Fund, those resources remain there, and we make sure that we push the National Treasury for the resources to be released. As a result of that, we will realise the intended objectives of this Fund. As a Committee, we had said that we will provide about Ksh3.5 billion this year, which is part of the arrears, and that will come to Ksh11 billion. We now see that the figure has been reduced a bit to Ksh10.87 billion. These small changes are the ones which affect this Fund. My plea to this House is, Hon. Members, let us support this Bill to pave way for utilisation of these resources. By doing that, we will be helping other parts of this country which were marginalised. The origin of this marginalisation can be traced to Sessional Paper No.1 of 1965 that focused the country on using its resources to develop high potential areas. Thus, we left the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) and other areas marginalised. With that background, it is very important for this House to facilitate utilisation of these resources in the marginalised areas. As a result of that, we will be able to move them to catch up with the rest of the country in terms of development. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}