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{
    "id": 735941,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/735941/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 331,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Billow",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 260,
        "legal_name": "Billow Adan Kerrow",
        "slug": "billow-kerrow"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, in relation to the Mediation Committee on the Division on Revenue Bill that was communicated to the House last week by the Speaker, I had sought to advise the Members that the mediation process faces a serious challenge that the House needs to know. The essence of the Division of Revenue Bill is that it is money allocated between the national and county levels of the Government. The National Assembly has gone ahead and already approved the Estimates of the Government. As I speak, they are also on the Third Reading of the Appropriation Bill. In effect it means that the amount of money that had been provided in the Estimates by the National Assembly of Kshs291 billion is what has gone to the Appropriation Bill, which will probably be signed into law by tomorrow, if it is passed today. The whole exercise of going through mediation to make amendments to the Division of Revenue Bill, if any, would be futile. The earliest that anything can happen is after the elections, when the next House can amend the Appropriation Act, if at all they agree to that. We have a situation where the National Assembly has completely neglected the Division of Revenue Bill, which is a core component of their mandate, as well as ours, in the Constitution. So, we have a situation where counties will not have money approved in the Budget this month, when all of them are hoping to approve their budgets. Without the Division of Revenue Bill we cannot prepare the County Allocation of Revenue Bill. Without that law counties cannot budget. In effect, there will be no budgets for the county governments until after the general elections. The interest of 47 governments was thrown out of the window by the Executive and the National Assembly. Only the interest of the national Government was taken care of by approving the Estimates and Appropriation Bill. This Bill originates from the National Assembly and they know that it is pending. This House has been rendered completely impotent or irrelevant in the sense that they have gone ahead to pass the amount they provided in the Estimates. The question that then begs is: What is the role of this House if we cannot have our input in the Division of Revenue Bill? We went to court in 2013 and there was an advisory opinion that the Senate must be involved. To ignore this Bill is in effect to say that is what we have provided in our Estimates and the counties can take that amount, law or no law. We are in a predicament and need guidance of the House. The counties will have no county budgets this financial year. In the two mediation committee meetings we have had, we have tried to prevail upon the Members from the National Assembly to talk to their House leadership to stop the process of enacting the Appropriation Bill, so that we can conclude this matter, but it has been brushed aside completely. They have gone ahead to finalize their matter. We, therefore, have a situation where a Mediation Committee was set up, but it has no role. I thought it wise to raise this matter. 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"
}