HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 237492,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/237492/?format=api",
"text_counter": 209,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Billow",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 260,
"legal_name": "Billow Adan Kerrow",
"slug": "billow-kerrow"
},
"content": "Yes, and I think you have got the point! Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I will now move to the issue of collection of revenue, which is captured under Clause 64 of this Bill. Under this clause, the Minister seeks to allow collectors of revenue to spend some of the money they collect, in terms of defraying some costs, etcetera . I have a bit of trouble with this provision, whether the revenue collector in mind is the Kenya Revenue Authority or any other collector of revenue. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Constitution, under Section 199, requires that all revenue collected must be paid into the Consolidated Fund. The Constitution also empowers this House to appropriate money for the purpose of expenditure by the Government. So, to the extent that this clause seeks to allow some institutions to spend some of the money they collect, it contradicts the provisions of the Constitution. So, I have a problem with the proposed provision under Clause 64. It undermines the role of Parliament as the institution responsible for appropriation of all public funds. So, this clause is, really, unnecessary. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, you will recall that last year, we raised an issue regarding the Governance, Justice, Law and Order Sector (GJLOS) reform programme. This is a programme which uses money that is pooled together by donors. We raised the issue here at one time when the GJLOS reform programme sought to procure some items internationally. It is strange that money in billions of shillings is being provided every year by donors through that programme, but is not in one way or the other factored in the Budget. Even hon. Members are not in a position to approve the expenditures for which that money is spent. We only ended up seeing an advertisement in the newspapers for the procurement of bullet-proof vests. This procurement was worth Kshs3 billion. We requested to be shown where this was provided for in the Budget, so that this House, which has the mandate to approve all expenditures, could approve it. It is important that all money, including that kind of money, be paid into the Consolidated Fund. I think that is the law. We should, as much as possible, restrict ourselves to that for purposes of accountability. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on Clause 35 on Insurance Claims, the Minister is capping the claims to Kshs3 million. I understand his rationale perhaps, that there is too much burden on the insurance companies. However, the point to note is that insurance companies take many years before they pay people. During this period they actually make a lot of gain from claims. If you, for example, submitted a claim of Kshs1 million because you were involved in an accident, by the time you are paid five or ten years later, these insurance firms would have made Kshs2 3272 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES October 31, 2006 million or Kshs3 million out of that money. It really does not make sense, in my view, to cap the limit of a claim by insurance companies to Kshs3 million. This is because we are benefitting the insurance companies double because they delay the amount of money to be paid. We are also limiting it. I did not find the rationale for that. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also want to understand the rationale by the Minister when he says that for banks which are opening branches outside the country, such branches will have to be approved by the Minister. I did not quite understand the rationale for that. The Minister said that if any of the banks want to open a branch in Uganda or Tanzania, for example, they need his approval to do so. I thought in this liberalised market, we may not need to restrict enterprises to that kind of thing. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, lastly, on Clause 20, we may need to expand to include donations to sports so that we encourage the growth of this area. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those few remarks, I beg to support."
}