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{
    "id": 1505568,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1505568/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 184,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Okoiti Omtatah",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "benefiting from the promise of devolution that they would have had the national Government devolve the funds that go with the functions. We are having the same with the health sector. The national Government continues to hang on to vital services or vital funds that should be providing services at the county level. So, it is really unacceptable that with the national Government already holding money belonging to counties, we again want to say that the deficit that has occurred should be shared equally between the counties or should be shared in some measure between the counties and the national Government. I urge this House and I plead with my fellow members to reject this mediation report, so that the little the counties are getting is not messed up. In some counties that are even smaller than my own Busia, have very little allocations and then we reduce them. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I plead with this House, my fellow Senators that we circle our wagons, close ranks, be bipartisan in approach, shoot down this report and go back to the position whereby the money that was allocated to the counties is not interfered with. The money is so little, given what the counties need to do. I reiterate that if there are governors who are messing up with that money, it is not the reason why the money should not be given to county governments. For those of us who still have babies in our houses and have a maid and she is eating cerelac that is meant for your baby, you do not stop buying ceralac because she eats it. You deal with the maid. You fire the maid. You do not stop buying ceralac for your baby because the maid eats it. So if governors are messing up with the county funds or if county assemblies are messing up with the county funds, let law enforcement do its duty. Let law enforcement intervene and deal with these rogues. However, the money that this House allocates for the people on the ground in our counties must remain sacrosanct. It must not be touched because that is where the rubber meets the road. The national Government has many corners where it can get money, where it can make haircuts and be able to still balance its budget. First of all, the money goes to the county governments. The way it is handled by this House, we do not have cases of budgeted corruption in the dollar. There is no budgeted corruption there. The money is worked out meticulously. It is meticulously tied to the needs of counties almost as a way you prescribe medicine for a rare disease. So, I plead with this House that we reject this report. We must make sure that what was allocated to the counties because it was not based on the current finances of Government, it was based on some couple of years back, it is not interfered with. The national Government looks for haircuts in other sections, especially that money that gets refused to devolve. It can relook at that. The counties are doing their functions. The national Government can make cuts without crippling the operations of county governments. With those few remarks, I ask the Senate Majority Leader to lead us in rejecting this negotiated position, so that we can fly the flag of devolution high and have some chance at realising the objectives of devolution. With those few remarks---"
}