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{
    "id": 1550619,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1550619/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 550,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Saku, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Ali Raso",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "resources simply means that it will be unattainable. What could be exacerbating the debt burden? Both internal and external debt is not going down. Is it because of seepage? Is it because of wastage? Or is it because of sheer mismanagement of our economy? Recently, Kenyans were on the streets looking for employment. Yesterday, doctors blocked the gates of Parliament, demanding additional pay and extra allowances. They are among the underpaid workers. They work for long hours and attend to emergencies. They do many things, especially in far-flung places. Unless we grow the tax base, it is impossible to run this economy without borrowing. There is a famous saying that when you are in a hole, do not continue digging. The more you dig, the more you sink. In this Bill, the National Treasury proposes to allocate a certain amount of the shareable revenue to county governments. However, the CRA says we must give counties additional funds. Are we running two governments in Kenya? Are we not running a holistic government where the left and the right understand each other? CRA should understand that the National Treasury does not meet revenue targets. The Chairman of the Committee said we are using the audited accounts for the 2021/2022 Financial Year. The Leader of the Majority Party has addressed that matter. Although we cannot achieve 100 per cent, we should, as much as possible, give ourselves a timeline so that we do not find ourselves out of target in two years. Look at inflation and the international money system. Many things will change in any country in the world in two years, let alone four or five years. For that reason, we have to be fair to the county governments. We must be fair as lawmakers who allocate resources. Honourable colleagues have talked about the Equalisation Fund. Article 204 of the Constitution is very clear. The Fund is to address inequality in this country. It is meant to address only four major areas: electricity, water, roads and health. When the Deputy Leader of the Majority Party is allocated Ksh2 million for his constituency, what is it supposed to be used for? If Saku is allocated Ksh20 million, what should the money be used for to meet the threshold of equality? Without buttressing what colleagues have said, we must begin to relook at the Fund. It has been diverted from the original thinking by the framers of the Constitution. It is no longer about equalisation. It is about penny pocketing, that is, giving everybody something small so that everybody is happy. Those whom the Fund was meant for in the first place still suffer and lag. For those of us who come from arid and semi-arid lands and the pastoral communities in the 15 counties, this Equalisation Fund was meant to bring us up to speed with the rest of Kenya and the other 32 counties. We do not have enough schools, roads or health facilities. Many things are still a burden to our people. However, when you look at the current system of sharing the Equalisation Fund, somebody will say that some funds should go to Embakasi Constituency because it has the Mukuru Kwa Njenga slum, some funds should go to Kibra Constituency because it is a slum, or some funds should go to Murang’a County because there is a pocket where there is a slum. There is a difference between planned, structured, well-articulated marginalisation and self-inflicted marginalisation. Any marginalisation in Nairobi County is self-inflicted marginalisation. Why would Mukuru Kwa Njenga, which borders affluent estates both to the east and the south, be a slum? I advise the Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairperson to start a serious debate, particularly with those of us from the ASALs, so that we give our input and state clearly that the Equalisation Fund is not helping us. Let this money remain in the Consolidated Fund until we can agree on the way forward. Finally, there is the issue of pending bills. I am happy that the Leader of the Majority Party has talked about it. Pending bills will kill devolution in the counties. I am told that people are paying “air” rather than paying those who do the real jobs. Many businesses are closing down. People who borrowed money from banks are being declared bankrupt."
}