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{
    "id": 603801,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/603801/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 241,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Lessonet",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 67,
        "legal_name": "Moses Lessonet",
        "slug": "moses-lessonet"
    },
    "content": "Committee. We appreciate the importance of that office. We also appreciate the linkages it gives to various sectors and the various performances in the constituencies. We are going to allow in this Bill the constituency office to nominate two people to sit on the Constituency Committee. I know Members are asking about the percentage of allocation to the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF). We are proposing that we continue to maintain the same level of percentage of at least two and a half per cent. Noting that most of the Members did well in English, when we say at least two and a half per cent, it means that it cannot be less than two and a half per cent. It can go as high as it can. This House in the past two years has demonstrated that it is the one that makes the Budget. The Constitution has given this House the power to make the Budget and it is for that reason that even in the Financial Year 2014/2015 when Treasury proposed an allocation of Kshs22 billion to CDF, this House said it was not enough, and at its discretion through the mandate given to it by the Constitution, increased the allocation to CDF from Kshs22 billion to Kshs33 billion. In this financial year, Treasury proposed Kshs33 billion to CDF. This House found that it was not enough and increased it to Kshs35 billion which is the allocation that we have now. It is for that reason that I want to beg Members not to be worried about the percentage. You now are the ones who make the Budget and are, therefore, the ones who know how much to allocate to CDF. This is based on the power that the Constitution has given this House. Despite that enhancement to Kshs33 billion and then to Kshs35 billion, it is exciting to note that there is no loss of money in CDF. We have seen other sectors, after getting an allocation as high as ours, for instance the National Youth Service (NYS), losing money. We have also seen a boost of allocation to Judiciary and the money disappearing. We have seen people being taken to court from PSC which had a huge allocation because money disappeared. The only fund that is almost immune to fraud and losses is the CDF. That is why we continuously protect the CDF to ensure that it continues flowing directly to constituencies. Hon. Deputy Speaker, due to the interest that Members have in this particular Bill, I want to end my submissions by requesting Members to support that we pass this Bill in this Second Reading. I also want to request members of my Committee to lobby strongly, so that we go through this Second Reading. Noting that we have a few days to go on recess, I request Members to stick around to pass this Bill, so that we can process it the Committee Stage next week before we break for the long recess. If we do not do that, it will mean that we will get to February next year without a new CDF Bill. So, this is a matter of urgency. We have this week and next week to process it. I know Members may also be asking what is happening in court. We are still in court because of the ruling that was made. There was an appeal which is yet to be heard. We requested an extension of time. A ruling was to be made on 13th November, but for reasons known to the court, they chose to defer that ruling and told us that the ruling was not ready and they would be giving it on notice. We do not know how long it will take. It is for that matter, that I am begging Members that we finish prosecuting this matter of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund Bill, 2015. Hon. Deputy Speaker, with those remarks, I request a member of my Committee and my friend, Hon. (Eng.) Gumbo, to second. I thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker."
}