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{
    "id": 587703,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/587703/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 113,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen (Dr.) Khalwale",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 170,
        "legal_name": "Bonny Khalwale",
        "slug": "bonny-khalwale"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. Because the Global Fund comes as a package of HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis, if you isolate one, it will be difficult for you to convince the European Union (EU), Canada and The United States of America (USA) who are the principal supporters of programme, that you bring the money and separate it, so that, part of it goes to HIV/AIDS and the balance remains with Malaria and Tuberculosis. So, it will be nice for us to package it that way. Furthermore, the complexity of HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis is that once you are infected with one, you become more vulnerable and susceptible to the others. So, it will be a useful amendment. The second amendment I would like to speak to is in Clause 12(A) (2), where Sen. (Dr.) Machage, is establishing the County AIDS Control Committee. I support him. He says:- “The County HIV and AIDS prevention and control committee shall consist of:- (a) One person with knowledge and experience in matters relating to HIV and AIDS prevention and control appointed by the county governor and who shall be the chairperson to the committee; (b) One person nominated by the county executive officer in charge of health in the county who shall be the secretary to the committee; (c) One man and one woman with knowledge and experience in matters relating to health within the county nominated by the Council; (d) One man and one woman appointed by the county governor to represent such special interest within the county as the governor shall determine. I urge him to accept that we add the CEC in charge of health. When you just put these other people, you will notice that the people appointed are from outside. You need people from inside the county government to sit in this committee to be the bridge between the committee and the county government mainly because of access to funds. We also have to go and interrogate the ministry of Health in Nairobi because at the moment, there is a quagmire now on how global funds for HIV and AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis can be used. At the moment, officers are sent from Afya House to go and do things in the counties and the absorption rate for the funds of the Global Fund has completely dwindled. In this Bill, we have an opportunity to design a structure that will allow global funds not to be controlled from Nairobi, but to cascade to the 47 counties for them to be absorbed better. There is a lot of resistance from Afya House because it wants to control the hundreds of millions in global funds. Therefore, we must have a law that forces them to release the money to cascade to the counties. I would also like to suggest a further amendment to Clause 12(b) (2) where the Senator attempts to allow for sitting allowance for the members of this committee. I advise him that when he leaves it the way it is, he will be opening room for them to pay themselves any amount that they might choose. Global funds are abundant. Therefore, I will not be surprised when they start paying themselves Kshs40,000 or Kshs50,000 as sitting allowance. We, as Senators must remember that even of high profile as we are, we have a sitting allowance of only Kshs5,000. Therefore, why can we not prescribe how 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."
}