Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 525325,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/525325/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 355,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "be considered so that people can be able to meet some of their most basic obligations. I think I have expressed my reluctance in this Senate and that Sen. G.G. Kariuki can bear me witness that I have had issues with the formula for revenue allocation since I came to this Senate. I have voted against every Bill for revenue allocation in this Senate and, therefore, I do not think that this formula has changed much; it is just taking us back to where we were. The only thing that is delusionary is the fact that the quota will increase. Therefore, instead of getting Kshs4 billion, we will get Kshs5 billion. The wage bill is still at about Kshs4 billion and so we will have an extra Kshs1 billion. But almost everybody else has that increment across the board. I also heard the Governor of Lamu say that Ksh.2 billion might not be enough for him. I do not know what formula he was using. We must also factor in some of those issues. It is not enough to say that Lamu has this kind of mass area, this population size and this is the index of poverty and that is it. Lamu has developmental needs. It is far behind everybody in Kenya in terms of infrastructure. It has no roads. It does not have many other amenities that have reached to other parts of this nation. People still commute on donkeys. Therefore, when you tell the people of Lamu that you have used very simplistic, equal share and population, you will definitely adverse them and put them in a situation where they cannot meet some of their development objectives. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as I have said before, we must argue these points relative to what the national Government is allocating to our respective counties. Yes, here you are putting in Ksh4 billion or Ksh5 billion into a county. We want to know how much more is going to Lamu, Mombasa or Kwale counties because some counties have been dispossessed. The whole vision of devolution was about equity, which is a very controversial issue. The real doctrine of equity says: “Those who are worse off must be better off before those who are better off become well off.” We constantly miss that point. Do you think it is just about giving everybody equal share or looking at the population size? This continues to marginalize some of these areas and that is why you will give Ksh1.2 billion. Lamu’s population will not explode overnight. It is not that they will breed and breed and get to five million people like other counties such as Nairobi which has infrastructure. So, what do you do to equalize Lamu County? The 0.5 per cent for Equalisation Fund is insufficient. We are using the same simplistic parameters again. I think we need to scratch our heads a little more as a country. We cannot just use the same land area. Definitely if you have land area and we peg it at 1 per cent, you have distanced them from certain counties and given others an edge. I think we must also make this revenue formula with cognisance of what the national Budget will be allocating to various counties. May be it could be that you are getting Ksh2 billion as Lamu County and the national Government will put in Ksh10 billion, and therefore, bridge that gap. However, if that is not what we can visualise, let us go with what we have on the table. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, my reluctance continues because I do not see Lamu catching up with Mombasa or Nairobi counties as long as you continue to give them Ksh1.2 billion. Lamu needs to build a first class, if possible, a Level Five hospital but you cannot build a Level Five hospital with Ksh.1.2 billion because that function is now with the counties. 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."
}