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{
    "id": 1460813,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1460813/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 365,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kibwezi East, WDM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Jessica Mbalu",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the Bill. First, I want to support the Division of Revenue (Amendment) Bill, 2024. I thank the Chairperson of the Committee for having a listening ear. We know why we are here. If I may borrow from the foreword of the Chairperson, because of the failure to enact the Finance Bill, 2024 into law, the Treasury was directed to prepare a revised budget for the Financial Year 2024/2025 to reduce the expenditure of the amount of revenue that is expected to be generated through the Finance Bill, 2024. I would like to thank the Chair and his team for a well put Report. The import of this Bill is to amend the Revenue Act 2024 so as to provide for equitable sharing of the revenue raised nationally between the national Government and the county governments, taking into consideration the downward revision of the projected revenue. The Bill is seeking to amend Section 5 of the Act by deleting and replacing Schedule No.5 of 2024 as contained in the Act. The Committee has gone ahead to propose amendments. The rationale for the proposed amendment of Section 5 (1) is to provide for the projected revenue shortfall to be borne by the county governments and the national Government. In Sub-Clause 5(1)(A), the Committee is proposing to insert a new sub-clause immediately after 5(1) that says: “Notwithstanding the generality of sub-section 1, the proportion of the shortfall that will be borne by the county government shall not exceed 15 per cent of that shortfall.” That is within the constitutional threshold. The rationale of the proposal is to safeguard the proportion to abide by the Constitution in the event that a shortfall has to be borne by the county governments and the national government. In the event of deletion and replacement of Schedule No.5 of 2024 within the principal Act, the Committee is appropriately guided. The criteria for sharing of revenue between the county governments and the national Government has been outlined very well by the Committee, through the leadership of the Chair. We have a total sharable revenue of Ksh2 trillion. We have been given the amounts that the national Government, the county governments and the Equalisation Fund will receive. This is a learning process. There are a few things we must look into as Parliament. Firstly, we must revisit the budget-making process so that we do not find ourselves here again. Secondly, we must also have a listening ear. We passed the Finance Bill, 2024 and, thereafter, a lot happened in the country. Some of us from this side of the House were chanting, “No!” We rejected most of the provisions of the Bill because we had listened to the people. As representatives of the people, we had done our own public participation and knew what the people wanted. As the Opposition, we were sure that the Bill that was being passed was not what Kenyans wanted. We saw the Generation Z coming out to express themselves. I thank the President for not assenting to the Bill. I also thank the Committee for revisiting it. That is why we are here debating and supporting. In as much as we support, there is need for prudent use of resources. In the last Parliament, the Chairperson and I served in the Public Accounts Committee. We saw the gaps in the expenditure of funds allocated to different ministries. As Parliament, we want to see prudent use of funds allocated to ministries. As we raise money from Kenyans, we need to reduce corruption. Hon. Makali has been in Parliament with me since 2013. I am sure that he wants to contribute. I will give him four minutes. Kenyans are watching. Therefore, we must listen to them as we prepare our budgets. Since this Bill will go to the Senate, I am sure they will look at it, knowing that some functions are devolved and others are for the national Government. As the representatives of the people, we get NG-CDF and we know that all the projects under that Fund are visible. With those few remarks, I support."
}