HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 1604308,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1604308/?format=api",
"text_counter": 263,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Mwaruma",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Members of the National Assembly because they are not implementers of projects and programmes. It is only the Executive that is supposed to implement projects. Madam Temporary Speaker, the clamour for a new Constitution started after the repeal of Section 2A in 1992, and in 2005, there was an attempt to change the Constitution. The reason that did not go through was because there was no devolution. Some of us coming from the coastal region of Kenya wanted majimbo, or regionalism, but the people making the constitution felt that we would be balkanizing our country into former provinces. Therefore, that constitution did not see the light of the day. We then saw the advent of movements like the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). In 2010, we gave ourselves a new Constitution that saw, to a great extent, redistribution of resources, where we had money coming from the center – Nairobi - to the counties. I must say that the counties are too small and they are largely, not viable. In 2020, some of us who felt that our counties are too small and non-viable supported the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI). It had one suggestion of reducing the counties to 14. That clause did not see the light of the day and it was removed at the initial stages of BBI. Later on, we said we should remain with the 47, but increase money to the counties to at least 35 per cent. The rest is history because the BBI did not go through because the courts declared it unconstitutional. Madam Temporary Speaker, the best thing that we gave ourselves as Kenyans in the 2010 Constitution was devolution. Some of our counties are very small. In Taita- Taveta, we have only 384,000 people and the registered voters are around 160,000, whereas such a number in some constituencies in Central, like Ruiru has over 200,000 voters. In our county, that is just the whole county. In order to get resources, we would be asked; how many votes are you bringing on the table, so that we give you development? Our votes really were very few. Therefore, in the advent of devolution, we thought we had a panacea to the problems that existed in our county. However, by and by and as we look at how devolution is working, the identified small counties; Taita Taveta, Isiolo, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Nyamira, Laikipia, Vihiga, Kirinyaga and Embu are too small and unviable and the money they get is less than Kshs6 billion. It goes to paying salaries and operations. Very little money is left to do development. Madam Temporary Speaker, we are again discussing the Fourth Basis for sharing revenue, something that we did in 2020. I can assure you that then, it was extremely divisive. As other speakers have said, it took months to pass that Third Basis for sharing revenue. In fact, it took the intervention of the Rt. hon. Raila Odinga. I remember I went to State House with the Rt. hon. Raila Odinga with the leadership of the Senate. I was representing Team Kenya because we were in the mood of ‘handshake’ then. The Rt. honouragble implored upon the then President, Uhuru Kenyatta, to add some money to counties so that no county could lose money. I remember in 2020, in the new revenue sharing formula, Taita-Taveta County was going to lose Kshs400 million. However, some counties were going to gain. The highest gainer was Nandi County, which was going to gain Kshs1.4 billion. Then, we were sharing the same cake as that we shared in Financial Year 2019/2020, of Kshs316.5 billion. 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."
}