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{
"id": 1613816,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613816/?format=api",
"text_counter": 235,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. M. Kajwang’",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Sen. Mwaruma, you must tell the people of Taita Taveta that you got them Kshs2 billion more to be shared out equally amongst the 11 counties. On that, I must congratulate the 11 because what brought them together were not geographical features or political commonalities, but the desire for their people to get more resources. To that extent, I want to congratulate the 11 led by Sen. Omogeni for bringing so far close to Kshs200 million to Nyamira because the original Kshs2 billion that was ring-fenced in the original report by the Committee, if it shared out equally, it will translate to almost Kshs200 million. A sum of Kshs181 milliion, which is not small money is capable of building probably 90 ECDE classrooms. If you make them ECDE centres, you can have as many as 50 ECDE centres. That is not small money. The voters, the people in these 11 counties, must know that their Senators are here. They are robustly working hard to ensure that they get more resources. There is a little bit of a problem in the proposed amendment. Remember Bob Marley said, give them a yard, they take a mile. We have given them Kshs2 billion. They want Kshs4.46 billion. We have given them a yard, let them not take a mile. However, this conversation would have been fit, proper and very appropriate if we knew how much money was available for distribution. Right now, we are speculating. We say Kshs465 billion. The National Assembly said 405 billion. The political class is Kshs450 billion. Governors were in State House, all of them, including those who failed to appear before committees. Some of them said they were sick and we saw them at State House. We shall deal with them. We shall find them. We shall use images of State House to put them in their place. Indeed, they were at State House. They discussed a lot of things. When you get information, the President was telling them about the limited fiscal space. The President was doing a soft launch on Kshs405 billion. Madam Temporary Speaker, we will be here fighting as a Senate for Kshs450 billion, but our principal customers, who are the governors, have already been softened to accept Kshs405 billion. This is a House where no one can take me to court for what I say here. The argument is as follows. You see, we in the broad-based wing of ODM are saying Kshs450 billion, nothing less and so, the calculation is simple. A sum of Kshs405 billion and then increase conditional grants to Kshs45 billion. You have Kshs450 billion. My deputy party leader will not reject that one because we said Kshs450 billion to counties, it can go as equitable share, it can go as conditional grants. Ladies and gentlemen, this debate, if this formula does not sit on the critical path of Dollar, I want to encourage the leadership and the 11 Senators, the gallant 11 and the Committee on Finance and Budget, let us shelve this debate. We see how much money we have. Then we have these clever arguments when we know what is on the table. If we have Kshs405 billion on the table, then Kshs4.46 billion is taking a mile from a yard. If we had Kshs450 billion, then we do not need to ring-fence because automatically all of us are going to benefit. It would be like a rising tide that lifts all boats. Everyone is going to get more than Kshs6 billion. I believe this is a premature debate. If we are going to commit ourselves today, then even we from the other 36 counties will be asked why we were not as gluttonous as Sen. Mwaruma, why we did not fight for our counties to get more. However, for our counties to get more, it means other 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."
}