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{
    "id": 1521323,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1521323/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 204,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Turkana South, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. John Namoit",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to add my voice on the matter of the Equalisation Fund. The intention of the Equalisation Fund, as per Article 204 of the Constitution, is to ensure that areas that were marginalised by Sessional Paper No. 10 of 1965… The Paper intended to reduce poverty, ignorance, and diseases in this country. Secondly, it was to promote political equity, social justice, and human dignity, to promote equal opportunities, and to enhance high-growing income per capita. That particular Paper concentrated all the resources on productive areas of this country, leaving some areas marginalised. That is why the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, brought in the county governments and the Equalisation Fund to equalise those areas. In addition, the decentralisation of funds was first realised when the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) was introduced as a policy to ensure that some areas of the country are at par with others. I want to identify some grey areas in the Equalisation Fund, which is why this House and the Senate are discussing it. First is the structure of governance of the Equalisation Fund. Articles 204(2) and (4) of the Constitution clearly spell out that the Equalisation Fund falls under the mandate of the national Government. They further state that the national Government can provide basic services directly or indirectly to marginalised areas. I want to state categorically that those are national Government functions delegated to the county governments. The board conducts public participation on the Fund. The Equalisation Fund has a four- tier structure: the Equalisation Advisory Board, the County Technical Committee, the Sub- County Technical Committee, and the Project Identification and Implementation Committee. One cannot know which tier will undertake public participation. I hope the Fund will undertake public participation through the Sub-County Technical Committee. Secondly, the funds for public participation are not remitted to the right Committee because the Advisory Board administers the Fund. When we prepare the regulations for the Fund, we must ensure that the administration of the Fund is also devolved to the three other structures."
}