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{
    "id": 1463202,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1463202/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 115,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Saku, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Ali Raso",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "the standing down of the Finance Bill 2024 have led to a significant budget deficit, causing the county allocation to decrease from Ksh61.9 billion to Ksh46.6 billion. This is a big hole. The additional allocations to our counties come from development partners in areas such as water, health, urban development and sanitation, and all the different facets addressing basic human necessities. Subsequently, the Government also provides matching funds. Although these funds are allocated to the counties, the National Assembly or the Senate does not have a clear purview on how they are utilised and overseen. Is it directly from the ministry or from the department or institution that gives the money? Who oversees these funds because they are not part of the mainstream allocations to the counties? Going forward, as the National Assembly, we must protect the national coffers and ensure that funding to the counties is timely and efficient. However, these funds must be efficiently utilised. Although the Senate oversees the counties, the people who live in those counties live in constituencies. Those are our people and this must be of concern to us. Article 95(1) talks of matters of concern to the people. One of the recommendations by the Committee is to decline the transfer of museum functions from the national Government to the counties. One of the difficulties we are facing is the shortage of skilled personnel in our counties. Many technical tasks remain undone despite the allocation of funds. For instance, museums require curators, researchers and scientists with various levels of expertise. If we transfer this function to the counties solely due to funding issues, we may end up harming an important resource. Museums are major tourist attractions worldwide. I fully support the Committee’s recommendations on this matter. Additionally, we have the issue of county aggregation and industrial parks. Vision 2030 aims for Kenya to become a middle-income country. While we may not be able to establish all of them at once, having industrial parks in the counties is crucial. However, the allocation of Ksh105 million to different counties suggests that we are gradually providing those counties with an advantage. If we establish an industrial park this financial year, we can move on to the next county in the following financial year. Without sufficient funding for those industrial parks, they may become incomplete and non-functional. The counties may not have adequate funds for those projects. Finally, there is the matter of community health promoters. Those individuals represent the first line of community health workers, focusing on preventive rather than curative care. These are some of the initiatives that we have adopted from other jurisdictions or countries. A good example is Cuba, where the community health promoters have a clear view of the common ailments in the communities. It is then dealt with at the first line through improving water and health checks. If an individual ends up going for curative care, then the first line will have failed. It has been seen that Cuba's health system is very well organised. It is among the best in the world. So, for that reason, we must look at the financial allocation to the community health promoters. Most probably, with the chipping of the allocation to this particular area, we may have to downsize many youngsters who are working in this area. It is something that we must remain seized of so that communities are not disadvantaged to a great extent. With those many remarks, Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to support."
}