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{
    "id": 436821,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/436821/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 55,
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    "content": "last audited accounts approved by Parliament. The last audited accounts were in 2009/2010. The revenues then were Kshs529 billion. This is why the Kshs226 amounts to 43 per cent of that figure. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, my Committee, after going through the Bill had a number of things to say. We would have preferred more resources to go to the counties. But this is a shared responsibility both with the National Assembly, ourselves and the Treasury who have also come up with the numbers. We have looked at a number of reasons. We have decided that for the moment, this financial year, because of a number of reasons that I will give, we will recommend that the Kshs226.66 billion allocated as provided for in the Bill, be sustained. However, we think it is very important, and we did bring in amendments in the Committee Stage, that provisions be made for level five hospitals to be funded outside of this figure. The Bill was published on 17th April, 2014 in both Houses. The reason is because of the mischief that in the past, the Bill was not presented to this House. Our worry was that this Bill may not come. This was one of the reasons the same Bill had to be published here. This figure of Kshs226.66 billion was the one we negotiated between the National Assembly and our committee. The third point I want to mention is that we have also received public views on this matter. We have been in consultations with the Treasury, the Commission on Revenue Allocation, the National Assembly and all the relevant institutions. I want to advice hon. Members that we really need to think hard on these numbers. There is no money that will be adequate for any level of government. We would have required more money. But under the circumstances, we have negotiated with our colleagues in the National Assembly and we have recommended that we start off with the Kshs226.66 billion, but leave room later on for amendments to provide for additional resources for Level 5 hospitals. Lastly, I want to point out that we have also recommended, and we will recommend in our report, that it is vital for the analysis of the functions and the costing to be done. This is a matter that our Committee intends to pursue. In fact, I have been in talks with the TA. Next week, we will bring them on board so that we discuss the issue of costing as soon as the classification of those roads is completed. This is so that next year, we base our decision on actual costing. What the CRA did this time, as a matter of fact, was not something that was agreed on at the IBEC. They simply took the forward estimates in the MTF budget and used that, instead of what has been agreed at the IBEC, which is a key institution in the Public Finance Management Act. What they did was to take the Kshs190 billion of last year as the base year and then added on the cost of county governments. This includes the issue of additional employees, costs of administration, the increase in the revenue percentage; they worked on that basis and arrived at the figure that we are now having. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want the Members to support this Bill. However, at the third stage, we will bring in some amendments in this regard, particularly to deal with that issue of the county governments. I beg to support. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}