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{
    "id": 477354,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/477354/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 286,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Elachi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13115,
        "legal_name": "Beatrice Elachi",
        "slug": "beatrice-elachi"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I also rise to support this Bill. First of all, I want to thank both the National Assembly and the Senate. We have moved a step further despite the challenges. We have gone through mediation which is something positive. We hope and believe that come next year we want to see both Houses moving through this without going through mediation. As we look at the County Allocation Bill, we need to know that we are going to have challenges with the 11 referral hospitals considering that we have not yet solved the problem. We must ask ourselves whether health is a devolved function. If it is so, it is time this Senate tells the Government that money should follow the function. We know that some counties will have serious deficits. For example, Nyeri County will have serious challenges because they are not satisfied with what the referral hospital has been allocated. As we move on the Committee on Finance, Commerce and Budget and the Senate, as a whole, should call upon the 11 counties with these referral hospitals and see how to engage Treasury to ensure that Kenyans get services. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I hope and believe that the county governments have now set their foundations. We gave them last year to build the foundations. This is the second year now. We hope come next year, we shall have clear costing of every function they handle. By so doing, we shall be in a position to assist each county considering its unique challenges. The Council of Governors have been putting things in a blanket form, the Senate should realise that different counties have their own challenges. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I want to thank the Committee on Finance, Commerce and Budget for the work they have done since January. We should now change our timetable on County Allocation Bill so that we can give time to the county assemblies to come up with the budgets that are clear instead of going back and revise their budgets due to the challenges we have made them go through. As we give these resources, it is important for the county governments to be very clear in what they want to do. It is important for them to be very clear on how they use their resources. The county assemblies have themselves to blame because very soon, some of them will be surcharged for the misuse of public funds. Therefore, most of them will have to face the law. I would wish that they would listen to their county finance executives and appreciate that they have a role in assisting county governments to move on. The budget committees in the county assemblies must guide the assembly to understand that money received from the Government must be used properly. The law is very clear about how money should be utilized. When time comes for the Controller of Budget and the Auditor General to rein in on them we should not politicize the issue or run to the courts. We should let them follow their process. I am 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."
}