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    "id": 647467,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/647467/?format=api",
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    "content": "it has been passed without any amendments. The same Bill had been referred by this House to our Committee which went through the Bill and obtained views and comments from other stakeholders through public participation. We also held public hearings and met the CoG and other stakeholders. I want to draw the attention of Members to page 8 of our Committee’s Report on the Bill, which deals with observations and general recommendations that was tabled in this House last week. The total county allocations from the revenue raised nationally have been enhanced in this Bill from Kshs287 billion in 2015/2016 Financial Year to Kshs302 billion in the next Financial Year, 2016/2017. The proposed allocation translates to 32.3 per cent of the approved audited revenue of 2013/2014, which is the latest as required by Article 203 (2) of the Constitution. After going through the Bill, we have a number of observations. I will quickly go through the observations that we have made. There have been various discussions and negotiations between the two levels of government on how much revenue should go to the county governments. This has been done at the level of Inter-governmental Budget and Economic Council (IBEC) and also the summit. The Committee has also looked at the explanatory notes in the memorandum which explains the allocations between the two levels of Government. I will come back to them later because they are critical. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the Committee also noted that as a principle it is essential to increase the revenue that goes to county governments. That is why the total equitable share has increased from Kshs259 billion in this current year to Kshs280 billion in the next financial year. This increase is important if, for no other reason than to appreciate that the cost of providing services by the county government goes up every year. Therefore, there is need to review and increase the amount of equitable share that goes to the county governments. The Committee also notes that it is equally important for the county governments to appreciate the importance of oversight in ensuring prudent management of financial resources that are sent to the counties. Concerns have been raised that there is need to refocus on the ability of counties to collect their own revenues to complement transfers from the national Government. We have also observed that there is an urgent need to bring clarity to the administration and reporting of conditional grants. This has been the main area of concern. The governors have expressed concern that conditional grants which are channeled through the line ministries to the county governments invariably delay or may have been diverted in some cases, and consequently, affected the operation of the county governments. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this matter has been discussed at various level of intergovernmental relations. The National Treasury has been mandated to come up with a framework dealing with the management of the conditional grants which may come from the national Government or donors. Therefore, it is important to have a framework for the disbursement of conditional grants to county governments that will ensure funds are disbursed immediately without delay for the purposes which they are meant. The Committee also observed that the National Treasury seems to be experiencing challenges in the management of county issues in particular, with regard to 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"
}