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{
    "id": 473961,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/473961/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 176,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Kagwe",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 229,
        "legal_name": "Mutahi Kagwe",
        "slug": "mutahi-kagwe"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I gather that my colleagues would rather like us to go straight into voting on this matter, but let me just emphasize one small item. This is to do with a big issue that came up when we were mediating this process on whether, indeed, Level Five Hospitals have been devolved or not. As we sit here today, the question still begs an answer, because if we stick to Article 187(2) of the Constitution which says very clearly that money must follow a function that is devolved-- - We are getting Kshs1.87 billion for those Level Five Hospitals. If that money is not enough and if the estimate is about Kshs9 billion to Kshs10 billion for running those hospitals, the question that the Senate should be asking itself is: Consequent to that, have we devolved Level Five Hospitals to the county governments? My answer would be “No, we have not.” Therefore, the Kshs1.87 billion that we are getting is an initial amount to start running those hospitals while the county governments within which those Level Five Hospitals fall will then go, identify and clearly find out how much money the hospitals cost and the national Government will then give that money to them. Failure to do this, the county governments should surrender those hospitals to the national Government. So, this is not just a simple matter. It is a serious matter. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I think the Committees of this House together with our counterparts in the Budget and Health Committees of the National Assembly must sit with the national Government to address the issue of Level Five Hospitals before we come here next time to discuss the same issue with the same problem. Last year, the money allocated to Level Five Hospitals was Kshs3.8 billion. This year, they have been allocated Kshs1.87 billion. Next year, we do not know how much will be allocated. We need to resolve this matter once and for all. Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir."
}