Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 1581289,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1581289/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 67,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "s",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like to appeal to all our colleagues that we support the decision that we have achieved so far. I do not need to belabour the point that we had in these four days of the Mediation Committee meeting achieved approximately Kshs28 billion increase. This is highest increment that we have received in many years that have passed. It has always been an increment of Kshs1 billion or Kshs2 billion. However, in this particular case, we have been able to achieve a good leap. So, I urge colleagues who are listening to me that this Committee did some good work. I want us to appreciate their work by supporting this Motion. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would have wished to sit down and leave it there. However, I would like to emphasize something. I want us to learn from the United States of America (USA). People tend to think that some of these departments cannot be abolished at the national level and yet it is possible and doable. Why can we not abolish the Ministry of Health at the national level? Clearly, this function has been devolved to the county level. Why are we still keeping money at the national level? Mr. Speaker, Sir, when President Trump took over, like him or not, the man makes decisions. He abolished the Federal Department of Education. People were shocked what was happening, but he did it. People can make decisions at the state level on how the education system should function. Health in Kenya is devolved function. I keep coming back. Those billions that are still at the Ministry of Health should come down to the counties. Even as we approve this, we want this to sink to those people sitting at the headquarters in the Ministry of Health, that this mandate is a county mandate. Mr. Speaker, Sir, many other functions have been devolved, yet the national Government is still holding onto them. I request the President to seriously think about abolishing them. Let him take bold steps and abolish some of these departments at the national level. For instance, the Ministry of Health function must go, so that the funds are released to the function. Today, we are celebrating Kshs415 billion as the equitable share going to county governments. However, if we abolished some of these ministries at the national level, we would be able to save more billions that would be released to county governments, so that our counties are able to function properly from the equitable share that they have received. We were talking here, as a Senate, and said that some counties are merely employment bureaus because they are not able to function properly. Their development vote is negligible. This is because the national Government continues to hold onto functions that are supposed to be for the county governments. As I urge my colleagues that we approve the mediated version of this Bill, we want to send a message to the national Government not to hold onto what is not theirs. It will cause them problems, all the time. For example, if you look at the payment of health workers who are working in our villages, the national Government pays a half, the other half is paid for by the county. How is that? How do you have two employers? How does it work that you are having one paying this amount and another paying the other? Why should the national Government hold onto that? Why can they not surrender that function properly to the county governments, so that somebody knows my little money comes from this employer? The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}