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{
    "id": 592381,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/592381/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 163,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Kshs2.2 trillion. The same House can then pass a budget of Kshs2.2 trillion. Clearly, without even thinking, there is a gap between our revenue and expenditure of Kshs1trillion. Where will this money come from? Therefore, we have an institutional problem that our spending is much more than what we can afford. We are living beyond our means. How do we finance it? The second problem we have is; we have allowed the government to borrow left, right and centre. The challenge we have today, the reason why we have delays in payment of money is because of the cash crunch arising from the repayments of the debts. It is easy to borrow. Today, the world is awash with money. If you want to borrow, you do not even need to think, you will be given money from any institution. Even individuals can lend hundreds of billions of shillings. They are looking for where to take their money globally yet if you come up with a policy that says borrow and spend, first, it contravenes the provisions of the Constitution. The principles of public finance require that the future generation is not burdened with today’s expenditure and debt. The challenge is that we do not have that opportunity. We are proposing that the Senate should be involved in the budgetary process of this country so that, as a House, we can act as a quality control. That is the essence of the Senate anywhere in the world. The reason why many countries in this world have a bicameral system of parliament is to ensure quality control. People might look at it from a simplistic point of view that we are duplicating the same law that goes to both Houses. It is not about duplication. That is looking at the simplistic aspect of it. It is about quality control. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the legislations that we make today, that are being passed by the National Assembly, nearly 78 per cent of them are returned by the President. The reason why we are burdened with making legislation is because of lack of quality. We make law today; tomorrow we repeal it or amend it. It is becoming impossible. That is why we have a bicameral system. We must give the Senate that responsibility of looking at the budget and appropriations so that we can reign in the runaway expenditure of government which is creating the deficit that is forcing the Treasury to borrow billions of shillings. Today, we have to spend the little revenue that we get on servicing debt. Last year alone, this country borrowed Kshs2 billion in the Euro bond. Early this year, they added another $50million in international sovereign bond. Locally, the total borrowing last year was close to Kshs500 million. Today, our debt is Kshs2.8 trillion. By next year June, our budget office approximates it to be Kshs3.5 trillion. Where are we taking this country? That is one of the fundamental changes we want to bring it here. It happens in the United States of America (USA) and other countries with a bicameral system; that both Houses have to look at the budget. The second aspect is on the legislative role. I think I have mentioned that it is very important. The recommendation here that every law must come to the Senate is very important. There is no law that is passed in this House or the National Assembly which does not touch on the counties. There is none. Even if they do not, that aspect of quality control, the need to ensure that we are legislating for the future generations or perspective, makes it incumbent upon us to ensure that both Houses have looked at law. That is what happens in the developed countries. The reason why the same law goes to both Houses is to double check and to ensure that the law we are making respects the provisions of the Constitution, values of human life and the interests of the people of Kenya at all times. The more we look at it, the more we will find it essential we bring the legislative agenda of this country to this House. The only thing that we are saying in 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."
}