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"content": "increase is appreciated. However, we still have a long way to go. Although the Constitution prescribes that a minimum of 15 per cent goes to our devolved units, it has never put a capping that it must remain at 15 per cent. It can and should go higher. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, why do I say this? Kenyans would want to see counties working. They would want to see our devolved units being viable, attractive and delivering for Kenyans, so that we realize the benefits of the 2010 Constitution. The spirit and bottom line of the 2010 Constitution was equity across the country. It was so that across Kenya, we can experience development, service delivery, opportunities at the local level for Kenyans, be it at Turkana County, so that, a Kenyan who is in Turkana has opportunities to work at their counties, and the same case applies to all other counties. For our counties to be able to deliver on the very functions that have been prescribed by the Constitution, address and deliver health services, make the facilities, equip them and provide medical supplies, as well as pay qualified personnel for these facilities, they need a lot of these resources, much more than the Kshs405 billion that has been allocated now. However, we accept and appreciate that we are making steps every other time. We are increasing and progressing and this gives us hope. However, still, we are far from it, because when they say it should be 15 per cent of the last audited accounts, and they go ahead to say this is based on the Financial Year 2020/2021 audited accounts, then there are question marks. You query because the last audited accounts are for the Financial Year 2023/2024. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, sometimes I have asked myself about what happens with the 85 per cent of the revenue that is left at the national level. We are not seeing mega projects being handled at the national level. By now the Expressway which ends at Mlolongo should have been extended beyond Kitengela, maybe reaching Isinya, so that we sort out the gridlock at Kitengela. We want to see mega projects like the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) fully functional. The SGR cuts across a very big part of Kajiado County, starting from Emali to Sultan Hamud, through to Kalembwani, Kiu, coming all the way to Mavoko, and even beyond from now where we border Sen. Maanzo at Emali, all the way to Mombasa. However, when you look at the SGR, it is not operating at full capacity. There were stations that were done along the railway line, but right now, they are white elephants because they are not functional. I should be taking the SGR at Stoni Athi or at Konza, go to Mombasa and alight at Konza and go to my home. However, we see those beautiful stations, and right now they are occupied by lizards because they are not functional. What I am trying to say is that even the 85 per cent that is left at the national level should be accounted for. We should see projects that are benefiting Kenyans. Kenya has a port and it is used by neighbouring countries. I do not know if majority of Kenyans know that we do not even have a shipping line. We do not even have our own fleet of ship and neither do we have at our airports what we can pride ourselves in as a national airline. Kenya Airways, which we pride ourselves with, is really not a national airline. It is a private enterprise. Kenyans would want to pride themselves like our neighboring countries. Ethiopia today has a fleet and Uganda has a number. You wonder why a powerful economic bloc like Kenya, does not. Even as we support the little that goes to"
}