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{
    "id": 1502718,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1502718/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 150,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cherarkey",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13217,
        "legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
        "slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for this opportunity to make a few comments on the reports of the mediated version by the Senate and the National Assembly. I will say from the onset that I am disappointed by the outcome of the process. It looks like we succumbed to the whims and wishes of the National Assembly on this discussion. While these counties continue to struggle with the challenges of corruption, under-development and poor performance, it is not justifiable to deny them resources. When we proposed Kshs400 billion, I thought we had sent the best. I remember the Senator for Nairobi City and his colleagues in the last session when you and I voted to pass Kshs380 billion in the last financial year went bashing us in funerals, baby and bridal showers; saying that the Senate was undermining devolution. I did not expect to preside when counties had not received adequate resources. The reason we proposed Kshs400 billion was not from nowhere. It was enough for counties. The fact that we are reducing the amount to Kshs387 billion is unfortunate. Many people would want to see an additional of Kshs3 billion or Kshs7 billion because in the last session, it was Kshs385 billion. I feel disappointed that the only way we can remove the heat on the development of this country from the national Government is to resource counties to ably do their functions as per the Constitution. This amount of Kshs387.4 billion is not sufficient to counties. I appeal on the issue of the Equalisation Fund because we are yet to release it as per Article 204. The money is yet to be released. There has been push and pull here. Even on the issue of concurrent functions like disasters, I expected the national Government to fully shoulder the responsibility of CHPs because it is not expensive even though health is devolved. I expected the national Government to shoulder the issue of industrial parks with Kshs250 million by counties and Kshs250 million by the national Government because these are concurrent functions. The biggest danger to devolution is the clawback of its functions. The second one is the unbundling of functions that should follow costs. There are many functions still retained by the national Government and yet, they should be unbundled to the counties because functions follow money. For example, the function of health is fully devolved, but the only role the national Government comes in is in policy. In the last Session, we fought very hard on the issue of the Medical Equipment Supplies (MES). It became one of the biggest rip off to counties up to date. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, on the issue of the Road Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF), I still insist that this money belongs to county governments, which is Kshs11 billion. I would like to ask MPs of the National Assembly why they are greedy. They are getting close to Kshs40 billion through the National Government-Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF), which the Supreme Court ruled was unconstitutional. 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."
}