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{
    "id": 357352,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/357352/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 325,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "that if you give them peanuts. You are only giving them money to use for salaries and allowances and yet, you are not giving them money to build roads and hospitals and to run their systems. So, if we want the structures to run--- CRA went round this country to collect views of Kenyans and so, they must come up with a formula on how they think if money is allocated to the county, how the government structure will work. We need to look at Article 203 of the Constitution. You need to look at national interest and compare that with what we have been given by the Treasury. In my view, national interest, under this Bill should not be the allocations given to the various national government structures. It should be what is allocated to the county government structures and the national Government and how that sounds nationally. Does it spur national interest? If you look at what is being said here you will realize that it is the budget for the national Government. National interest is how you have gone about in preparing this Division of Revenue Bill and in looking at the national interest in totality. The same Article requires us to look at the physical capacity and efficiency of the county governments. That does not mean that you tell us that it should be noted that local taxes and revenues assigned to the counties under Article 209 will help the county governments get money. The Treasury must tell us how it took into account the fact that some government structures may not be physically viable. Some of them may not have the capacity to even absorb the money. How has the national Government taken that into account? How has it treated the various counties? How does it intend to improve the physical capacity and efficiency of those county governments? We have had this question with us for the last three years and we cannot just be told that when the counties start running is when you will then evaluate their physical capacity. No! You should have data by now. You should know, for example, that in Siaya county, where I come from, it has this and that capacity. We cannot be treated to generalities. This Bill is so important that I think if we give a cursory look and pass it, we will be setting a bad precedent for devolution in this country. Even in terms of economic optimization, we need to have details on how this needs to be done. Look at the structure of the Bill. In fact, look at Clause 2 of the Bill. This Bill is supposed to communicate to the public what we intend to do; that is, how the revenue is divided. However, if you use statutory terms and only define three of them to the public, are you helping the public to engage? If you go to the Constitution, of course, you will find the definition of the Cabinet Secretary, the State Organ and so on. We should have definitions of the terms that are used in this Bill. I am talking about terms that they have used like “PFL”, “Holding counties harmless”, and so on. Let us have the public in a position to engage. Let us not cloth our Bills in legal jargon so as to prevent the public from participating. I have heard a lot of words being said about the need for organization and the minority in this House being able to appreciate that we have to move on. We have moved on! However, rules are a hand maiden of justice. They are not meant to block the dispensation of justice. We cannot have rules in this House---"
}