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{
    "id": 736872,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/736872/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 57,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Musyimi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 95,
        "legal_name": "Mutava Musyimi",
        "slug": "mutava-musyimi"
    },
    "content": "require that new institutions be also put in place and a lot of money has gone to creating those institutions. Simple economics can tell you that, in a sense, this country has stagnated and that fiscal capacity to create new employment opportunities has actually shrank. It calls for all of us to go back to the drawing board. Every Government institution seems to want more money. We must be ready to cut our coat according to the cloth we have. I think it is high time we began to take seriously the recommendations of the Socio-Economic Audit Report that was tabled by my committee in this honourable House, so that we begin asking ourselves whether we have sufficient resources to do the things that we are committed to do. Article 203(2)(3) of the Constitution provides that, for every financial year, the equitable share of the revenue raised nationally that is allocated to the county governments shall not be less than 15 per cent of all revenue collected by the national Government. The amount shall be calculated on the basis of the most recent audited accounts of revenue received as approved by this honourable House. I want to confirm that the Division of Revenue Bill that we are about to discuss has, indeed, adhered to that provision of the Constitution. The same Constitution provides for the criteria to be taken into account in determining the equitable shares among many requirements that are set out. Some of those key criteria include national interest, provision of public debt, the needs of the national Government, fiscal capacity, efficiency of county governments and the like. My Committee has consulted the National Treasury. We spent long hours with Mr. Rotich and his team from the National Treasury last week on the prospect of providing additional resources to county governments. They informed us that there are no additional resources available unless they raise additional taxes which will require amendments to the Finance Bill, 2017 or additional borrowing from domestic and external resources. This will be robbing Peter to pay Paul. It will be very difficult for my Committee to recommend that we follow that path. You may be aware, as the process of approving the Division of Revenue Bill was going on, there were new developments related to the availability of donor funds for counties. The National Treasury has informed us and explained to my Committee about the availability of those funds. I will be proposing amendments to this Bill in the next stage so as to ensure that we take care of donor funds. However, we also need to indicate to the development partners that our Budget process needs to be respected. Our development needs to work within our Budget calendar and in line with the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action that provides that donors must use country systems and procedures to the maximum extent possible. It is a requirement, therefore, that the national cycles should be recognised by those wonderful development partners. So, we would just like to make a modest call that, that should be the case. Over the last four years, as I conclude, the processing and approval of the Division of Revenue Bill has been done with sufficient difficulty. This may have been contributed by the opinion given by the courts with respect to Division of Revenue Bill. My Committee is of the view that the wisdom and intentions of the 2010 Constitution that the processing and concluding of budgets, not least this Bill, be the province of the National Assembly while the Senate deals with the County Allocation of Revenue Bill be respected. As we said earlier - and I think it is very important - the buck needs to stop somewhere. This circus, this shilly - shally, this merry-go- round every single year needs to come to an end. We need to come up with a position where the place, the premier role of the National Assembly is understood and respected so that we make the final decisions as to where we go with the Division of Revenue Bill and we stop this business of going round in circles chasing our own tails and wasting each other’s time. Time has come to The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}