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{
    "id": 779869,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/779869/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 317,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. M. Kajwang’",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13162,
        "legal_name": "Moses Otieno Kajwang'",
        "slug": "moses-otieno-kajwang"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I will be failing in my duty as a Senator if I do not talk to this matter seriously without the blinders of Jubilee and NASA. I think you must guide us in this discussion, so that we become relevant and stop talking about irrelevancies like Uhuru Park and swearing in, which has got nothing to do with disbursements to counties. All of us here are faced with contractors and employees in our counties, some of whom have not been paid salaries and governors are saying they have not received money. I am looking at Homa Bay County where 51 per cent has been disbursed and there are certain counties where 33 per cent has been disbursed in the final quarter of the year. You ask yourself: How will these counties manage to pay? Even when that money comes in, we will just be creating an opportunity for corruption. This Senate got money in the last Parliament for monitoring and evaluation three weeks to the end of the Financial Year and we rejected it. We said that we would not have the capacity to absorb and utilize it. So, for us to encourage this kind of numbers and then hide under political party affiliations, we are missing the point. Mr. Temporary Speaker, the issue should be Article 219 of the Constitution. The only reason this House is still relevant is not because we come here and talk big English, it is because the Constitution gives us a responsibility to divide revenue, under Article 217 of the Constitution and allocate revenue, under Article 218 of the Constitution. Once we do that, we expect that under Article 219 of the Constitution, we will ensure that those monies are released to the counties. If you may allow me to read, Article 219 says:- “A county’s share of revenue raised by the national government shall be transferred to the county without undue delay and without deduction, except when the transfer has been stopped under Article 225.” Need we say more? When we go to Kakamega for the Devolution Conference, the first thing that the governors will ask us is: “Given that the Treasury is not releasing our money, what are you doing as the Senate?” Will we tell them that we have been wrangling over political party affiliations? This Schedule has just been distributed to some Members here and Sen. Khaniri has raised pertinent points. He is not only speaking on behalf of Vihiga County, but devolution and everyone here. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, if you could give direction that we analyse some of these numbers. You could even order that we create time on Tuesday next week, so that we can substantively discuss this matter or create an opportunity to sit with the Cabinet 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."
}