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{
    "id": 484880,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/484880/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 387,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. A.B. Duale",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 15,
        "legal_name": "Aden Bare Duale",
        "slug": "aden-duale"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Even if we do not pass this Bill, I can tell you that it will be law. That is because for us to deal with this Bill, we need a two-thirds majority. However, I will speak on this Bill. Number one, I want to say it very clearly - and I am sure the Chair of the Budget and Appropriations Committee will agree with me that the Senate - both in last year’s County Allocation Bill and in this year’s Bill, has developed a tendency of amending the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act and that is very wrong. The Senate should not hide under this Bill to amend the PFM Act because the PFM Act is a serious law. We have no problem with them doing the ceiling on the county governments and the Members of County Assemblies (MCAs). But when you do this, you are deliberately denying the National Assembly its legislative powers. So, I want the substantive Speaker to make a communication on this matter because even Sub-section 6 of the PFM Act says:- “The Act shall prevail in the case of any inconsistency between this Act and any other legislation.” So, I do not know whether the Legal Department of the Senate advises the Committee on Finance of the Senate because the essence of the County Allocation Bill is to divide the revenue allocated to the county governments for the 47 counties. So, I want to raise this very critical point that it is a very bad trend that the Senate is developing. The second and the most important point is that we are not in this House, borrowing the words used by the great lady of Homa Bay, to demonize governors or county governments. Neither are we here to be their flower girls. Our business as legislators is to see that the fruits of devolution reach our people. More fundamentally, the way each and every Member of this House will account for every penny of the Constituencies Development Fund is very important. Every public money; whether it is in the national Government, county government or Parliament, must be accounted for. Today, I am so happy the governor of Murang’a has seen the light and he has appeared before the Public Accounts Committee of the Senate. He has seen the light."
}