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    "id": 722200,
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    "content": "to counties and then saying ex cathedra that these are conditional grants? We were sitting here yesterday with the Chairperson of the Committee on Finance, Commerce and Budget, the CS Finance and the National Treasury, the Commissioner for Revenue Allocation and the Council of Governors and this issue was raised. I raised this issue with the CS for Finance and National Treasury, but I did not get any good answer. As we retreat to Naivasha today, I hope we shall be there in good numbers. I hope that we shall talk about this Division of Revenue Bill and come out, as the Vice- Chairperson said very competently, with certain amendments to this Bill which will satisfy the interest of our counties. I am saying this with a very good heart and as somebody who has been a Minister for Planning and National Development and who has been a champion of devolution ever since we started the struggle for the second liberation. Now that devolution is here, my appeal is that we should implement it properly by making sure that resources follow functions. Another example which may not be important, but it is an example which is important nonetheless and we should not take it lightly. After talking of health, agriculture and water, though I did not dwell on it, there is a certain function which we usually forget. That is the function of culture. Our cultural heritage and cultural traditions is a very important aspect of our Constitution. Culture has been given to counties as a function. I do not think that we ever think very seriously about giving resources to culture. It is again one of those functions which we outsource to donor agencies and other bodies. I would like to appeal that when we comb through this Bill and the allocation of funds, we should think very clearly of those functions allocated to counties and ensure that we have enough resources to support them. This is a constitutional requirement. It is a requirement that calls upon the Treasury to be filial to the Constitution and go an extra mile to make sure that they do their work properly. Finally, I have another appeal to Treasury. If I was a CS in charge of Finance, I would request a study by my people in the Finance Department and, perhaps, by certain experts, so that we develop very clear criteria of respecting Article 203 of the Constitution. What are some of the indices that we shall use to make sure that these requirements of allocating money in terms of equitable share to the counties are actually observed? From Article 203(1)(a) to (k), there must be a measure of the extent to which you take into consideration national interest when you are budgeting. There must be a 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"
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