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{
    "id": 704350,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/704350/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 248,
    "type": "other",
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    "content": "the National Government Constituencies Development Fund, what is popularly known as the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF). This Bill tries to remove the disbursement of the Equalisation Fund from the national Government to the constituencies. The Parliament will pass an appropriation law that will allow constituencies to identify projects and spend that money at that level. Therefore, the Bill has an impact on devolution. The purpose for which the Fund was created was to give strength to the devolved units. That is what it does. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, as you are aware, it took time for the Equalisation Fund to be operationalised. However, since last year, there are guidelines. The guidelines were published by the National Treasury on how the Equalisation Fund is to be operationalised. The national Government has committed resources in the current financial year to operationalise and make sure that the Equalisation Fund benefits areas which have been left out in development in our country. I believe that the greatest threat to our country today is marginalisation of some parts of our country. I believe that devolution, including the creation of the Equalisation Fund, was aimed at tackling this important national issue. Going forward, I hope that through the Equalisation Fund, our country can have fairly the same levels of development. That should guarantee national unity which is missing in this country and national security. I am convinced that most of the national security challenges we are facing today arise from historical injustices and issues of marginalisation. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I come from a historically marginalised area. I can assure you that if there is something that is hurting the unity of this country, it is the feeling by certain parts of our nation that there are certain sections that have been forgotten. Therefore, the purpose of the Equalisation Fund was to avoid leaving the matter of distribution of national resources to bureaucrats sitting in Nairobi, because not every other part of the country is represented in that bureaucracy. This Bill tries to remove the disbursement of those funds from the national Government and transfer it to the constituency level. An Act of Parliament will be enacted to guide on the appropriation of that fund. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I do not want to say more than that. I beg to Move. Since I do not see the Senate Minority Leader, his deputy, the Senate Minority Whip and the deputy, I will ask Sen. Ongoro, who is seated near the seat of the ‘power of the few,’ to Second the Bill. Thank you."
}