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{
    "id": 768625,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/768625/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 110,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "counties do with these monies. But if I am not mistaken, we could be two years behind in dealing with the Auditor-General’s reports. The Auditor-General needs to work hard in this area. If the Controller of Budget is realising the reports on time, then the Auditor-General should also be doing the same so that we can have timely interventions on how these funds are being spent. The Controller of Budget’s report does not give us itemised expenditure so that we know where these funds are being spent. We need to know, per county, if monies are being spent for development and so on. Having the report on time also gives us an opportunity to look at the challenges which the counties have. The first issue is the expenditure performance where we are told that the counties have 79.9 per cent absorption of what they receive. If you look at that, first of all you have to check why or where these funds are delaying and why it is that the counties do not receive all the funds. The culprits could be the counties themselves. If you look at the funds received for that financial year, the equitable share was all released by the national Government which released the Kshs280.3 billion approved under the Division of Revenue. There are also many areas where the conditional grants were not released. We have to look at where these delays are and why these funds were not released. However, if you look at the local revenue, that is where the counties are supposed to make an effort and generate funds. However, that is where almost Kshs25 billion was not realised. When you look at it and talk of 79 per cent absorption, you have to see that even the releasing was not 100 per cent. Where is the problem? That is where we need to see changes. Mr. Speaker, Sir, when it comes to local revenue, I think it is the counties which set their ceiling. If a county says it can generate Kshs300 million in a given year, then there should be no reason why they should generate 40 per cent of that target because they had the capacity and know their capability. So, it has to be something else. These funds are being collected but the issue is how they are being accounted for. The requirement is that any county generating any funds must submit that money to the County Revenue Fund at the Central Bank of Kenya. It is from there that they can now request for expenditure of those funds. However, if they do not, then the money will not be captured. That is why the Controller of Budget is talking of only Kshs32billon against the projected Kshs57 billion. We need to follow up with the counties and make sure that whatever they collect, they actually remit to the County Revenue Fund because these funds form part of the budget. This fund is also included as part of what they have budgeted for. When you check the percentage received, it is against even that local revenue. Therefore, that one squarely lies with the county governments. Right now they do not have any excuse because they are better than the county councils and municipalities which were there. This is because they have better staff and more funding and can develop better mechanisms of collecting and accounting for that money. If there are loopholes, as has been alluded to on the issue of receipts, then they can introduce technology so that citizens can actually pay directly to their account. They can get receipts but they have to pay directly to the account. That way they will seal all these loopholes. However, it does not seem to be that way. Maybe the county itself is the The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes"
}