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{
"id": 1527076,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1527076/?format=api",
"text_counter": 226,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kikuyu, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Kimani Ichung’wah",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Kenya who cannot access funds that go to their health care programmes, water and sanitation, and funds that improve infrastructure under the Kenya Urban Support Programme. I know there are many counties, including my own county of Kiambu that have roads that were to be done under the KUSP funds, for instance, my road in a place called Ondiri and another one that goes from Renguti through Kanyayo to join the Ondiri-Makaresha Road. However, they cannot be done because of the grandstanding in pursuit of Ksh10 billion whereas other billions are being held by this Bill. I implore upon the Senate and the Council of Governors (CoG) to allow the approval of this Bill by both Houses of Parliament so that counties get additional allocation over and above the division of revenue. Before the end of this week, we will publish the Division of Revenue Bill for the 2025/2026 Financial Year. However, it is sad that we will publish that Bill – and subsequently another County Governments Additional Allocation Bill for 2024/2025 Financial Year – when we are yet to finalise with the one for the current financial year. Therefore, I urge Members to support this Bill. I also plead with the other House not to wait for this Bill to go there for them to amend and introduce the RMLF again. This is because they are aware of the challenges with RMLF and what they will encounter in this House. Failure to pass the Bill is a punishment to the counties and our constituents. Once we approve this Bill – which I hope we will approve before we proceed for the short recess or immediately after – I request the other House to allow our counties to access this money. On the County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs), the President recently inspected one in Busia County. Beautiful work is ongoing there and in 19 other counties, including Kiambu, Kirinyaga, Kwale, Machakos, Meru, Migori, Mombasa, Murang’a, Nakuru, Nandi, Nyamira, Siaya, Trans Nzoia and Uasin Gishu. Each county is slated to receive Ksh105.3 million for CAIPs. These parks will not only create opportunities for our farmers and business people to get a place to trade their goods, but also create employment opportunities for people in our counties. Therefore, for every minute lost, we lose an opportunity for these 19 counties to access this money. Allocation for the Community Health Promoters (CHPs) is also in this Bill. Part of what was envisaged under the health laws that we passed, was that the national Government, in conjunction with the county governments, would put resources together to pay stipends to our CHPs. This is to help in the actualisation of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) dream, which is now a reality under the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF). However, this cannot succeed if we do not adequately resource our CHPs, whose money is in this Bill. Therefore, I urge our colleagues in the other House to help. There are also salary arrears for county government health workers, following the return-to-work formula agreement between the health workers’ association and the county governments. The national Government committed to provide the first phase of the bargain in the 2024/2025 Financial Year amounting to Ksh1.759 billion. The Bill also contains a similar provision towards settlement of the salary arrears of health workers in the counties, as per number of doctors in a county. Currently, our health workers are threatening to go on strike because of the arrears from the CBA. This money is also in this Bill. I am mentioning the contents in this Bill so that everybody can bear the weight of its importance. Further, we need to understand why there should be no fight among us, the Senate and the CoG on the enactment of this Bill. I plead with the Senate and CoG to allow this Bill to pass, as published, so that these counties can access this money for the benefit of our people. Hon. Temporary Speaker, with those many remarks, I beg to move and request Hon. Jematiah, who was retained as a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, which had considered this Bill – Hon. Junet Mohamed referred to them as the remnants in that committee – to second."
}