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{
"id": 468025,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/468025/?format=api",
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"speaker_name": "Sen. Wako",
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"speaker": {
"id": 366,
"legal_name": "Amos Sitswila Wako",
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"content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this very important Bill; the County Allocation of Revenue Bill. Madam Temporary Speaker, I speak with a very heavy heart, because this is a case where we, as a Senate, are caught between a hard place and a rock. As we all know, very much as we can justify that the amounts being allocated to the counties must be substantially increased, in this Bill we cannot do that because the cake is given. That cake is given under the Division of Revenue Bill. As you know, this House is challenging the unconstitutionality of the procedures leading to the assent of that Bill by His Excellency the President. We are, in fact, saying that it was completely wrong, constitutionally, legally, morally or otherwise, for the role of the Senate, which is set out very clearly under our Constitution, in respect of that very Bill, to have been completely frivolously left out by the National Assembly. It was wrong for the National Assembly not to have considered what the Senate had done, in respect of that Bill. It was wrong for the Speaker of the National Assembly, having agreed that this is a Bill concerning the county governments, to have changed his mind without even the courtesy of informing this Senate formally. He changed his mind from what he had originally told this Senate. So, it is with that heavy heart that I rise to contribute to this Bill. Madam Temporary Speaker, obviously, our discussion on this Bill is completely without prejudice to the case that we have filed in court, challenging the Division of Revenue Bill. We are doing so because we respect the Constitution and law. As the saying goes, whether or not, you like the law, you must respect it. So, for as long as the Division of Revenue Bill is the law, to the extent that the Head of State assented to it, until it is declared unconstitutional by the court or otherwise amended properly, we have to proceed on the basis of the allocation given in totality to the counties, which we are now going to share out under this County Allocation of Revenue Bill. I wanted to make that clear, because there should be no misunderstanding whatsoever that we are somehow, in any way, compromising our case which is before the court. We are just doing so because of the fact that, that law is still law and has not yet been declared unconstitutional. Madam Temporary Speaker, also, the counties have need for this money and are not going to be given anything until this County Allocation of Revenue Bill has been passed. Therefore, we owe it to our constituents, the counties, to pass this Bill. But in so 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."
}