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{
    "id": 576153,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/576153/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 28,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ochieng",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2955,
        "legal_name": "David Ouma Ochieng'",
        "slug": "david-ouma-ochieng"
    },
    "content": "December. Things could happen and these things are contemplated in the Constitution, like the President-elect dying before being sworn in. Elections must be done within 60 days when that happens. There are very many things that could happen after the elections. That is why it is important to understand why we are saying a December date is better for elections. Within the new constitutional framework and under the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act, the Budget-making process is now an elaborate one that involves every Member of the National Assembly and the Senate. It is an elaborate process that starts in August and ends in September the following year. It is a whole-year process. However, the crucial months are February through September. In February, we discuss the Budget Policy Statement (BPS) in this Assembly; in April, we receive the Budget Estimates and in June we must pass the Appropriations Bill after the Budget Statement is read before this Assembly. This year, we have had a serious challenge with not only the Division of Revenue Bill, but also with the County Allocation of Revenue Bill. So, the process could always spill over to the end of June. At the end of June, we must have done the Appropriations Bill or the Vote in Account. However, of importance is the fact that even after we have passed the Budget and the Appropriations Bill, the Government cannot raise any revenues until we pass the Finance Bill, which comes later in the year and must be passed by September. If we are to hold elections in August, 2017, then by 8th of June, 2017, this Parliament will stand prorogued and yet the law is very clear that most of the Bills we are talking about must be passed by the end of June. What happens in the Budget-making process cannot be gainsaid. The Budget has to be done very keenly. If what we saw happening here last week and what we saw happening in this country last year, where figures can be sneaked into the Budget to benefit people, then you can be sure that if you rush the Budget-making process, especially in an election year, this country stands to lose a lot of money. That is why the Budget-making process is a very important process in this country and should not be interfered with by elections. That is why holding elections in December, when all these processes have been done, makes a lot of sense. In an election year, there are very many things to be looked at. In an election year, it is not only the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) that requires money. An election basically involves the whole bureaucracy of Government; it involves security, education and everybody else. That is why availability of money is very important."
}