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{
    "id": 1440126,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1440126/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 342,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tetu, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Geoffrey Wandeto",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for allowing me also to lend my voice to this very important Bill. From the outset, addressing issues of marginalisation and equalisation is important. This is one way to achieve national unity. Today, it is sad to learn that there are arrears many years after this Fund was conceptualised, and the disbursements have been minimal. It is only reasonable that going forward, the National Treasury ensures that the monies earmarked for this Fund are released and used for the interventions intended. I applaud the Senate for doing two very important things in this Bill. The first is to ensure they safeguard it from the usual cycles of Government expenditure, whereby the allocated funds lapse. Also, by ensuring they include the administration of the Fund by operationalising the Equalisation Fund Advisory Board. Having said that, I think a good thing can be made better. There are many opportunities to improve this Fund going forward. I wish to submit that as we come to the third comprehensive review by the CRA. It is time we ensure that the formula we are using is looked at very closely so that the interventions intended by this Fund bear fruits. Some people have said we should extend the number of years the Fund has been given. I do not think that is the solution. We should be talking about how effective the interventions have been. We need clear documentation, monitoring, and regular reports to this House and the Senate regarding the results we are getting from these interventions. Otherwise, we can spend much time discussing these marginalisation interventions without getting any results. These interventions must be time-bound, and the data must be accurate. Also, giving counties the full leeway of how this Fund is utilised may not be the most appropriate channel. Hon. Temporary Speaker, we are all struggling with how counties are using the little resources we are giving them. How do we come up with a hybrid solution where Members of Parliament, parent ministries and counties through the NG-CDF come together so that the interventions envisaged in this Fund can be more effective? If you look at the money that has been provided, you will find that it is a drop in the ocean. We cannot provide solutions that we are looking for by allocating only Ksh10 billion. For some of these counties, the Equalization Fund were an unnecessary measure and may not necessarily be the solution we are looking for. We require a marshal plan to also ensure that we can accelerate the development that we are looking at these marginalised areas. 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."
}