Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1520246,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1520246/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 237,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mandera South, UDM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Abdul Haro",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for this opportunity. From the outset, I thank the Committee for this Equalisation Fund (Administration) Bill 2023. It is a Bill for an Act of Parliament to provide for the administrative structures for the management of the Equalisation Fund; to establish an Advisory Board; and for connected purposes. Hon. Temporary Speaker, this Bill seeks to cure some of the challenges that have been experienced with the Equalisation Fund for the last 14 years. In fact, it has been 14 years now. The reason the Equalisation Fund has not functioned is because of the absence of some provisions, which are being introduced in this Bill. For instance, the advisory board is supposed to advise and recommend to the Cabinet Secretary on the distribution of resources for provision of basic services to marginalised areas under Article 204 of the Constitution. Additionally, the advisory board is supposed to appraise and evaluate projects, a function that was lacking in previous years. The advisory board is also supposed to make recommendations on priority areas requiring financing, which was also lacking in the previous years. It is also supposed to establish a framework for collaboration between the two levels of government, while at the same time, trying to oversee the implementation of the project, as far as it relates to the constitutional provisions. One of the problems of the Equalisation Fund so far is the fact that Article 204 of the Constitution has not been implemented fully as required. I do not want to belabour on the background why the drafters of the Constitution thought about the Equalisation Fund because, Hon. Temporary Speaker, in your wisdom and experience, you have elucidated very clearly 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."
}