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{
    "id": 798065,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/798065/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 149,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Kihika",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13216,
        "legal_name": "Susan Wakarura Kihika",
        "slug": "susan-wakarura-kihika"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir for giving me this opportunity to stand here and contribute to the Motion on the State of the Nation Address by His Excellency the President. Having listened to the President’s speech last week, there are a few issues I picked out that I thought to be important as we move forward to his next term. We, as the Senate, are very concerned and involved in making sure that devolution works. The President was able to give us his score card. In so doing, we know his administration has been very supportive of devolution and has made a huge commitment to making sure that devolution works. We have seen that by the increased resource allocation since 2013. We know that the Constitution only requires a 15 per cent threshold, but the President’s administration has gone far and above that. In 2013/2014 Financial Year, Kshs210 billion was allocated to the counties and now in 2017/2018 Financial Year we have a sum of Kshs327 billion allocated to the counties which is a great increase. It is about 56 per cent in five years. That shows a lot of commitment to making sure devolution works. It will only work once more resources are devolved to counties. We have also seen very successful Huduma Centres across the country. This has been helpful to many Kenyans in our counties. It offers registration services right at the counties. The process of getting national identification cards has been streamlined. Kenyans are able to get them fast. In the past, it would take a long time for a Kenyan to be issued with it. With the advent of these centres across the country, there has also been an increase in improved National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) services which also fits in the President’s speech on the Big Four Agenda; one of them being health. We obviously keep urging, as he did, that our people on the ground sign up for NHIF because the hospital bills have become very exorbitant. I am sure that every politician inside or outside this House would know that, since we have had to do a lot of fundraisers to cater for medical services of some of our people when they are hospitalized. We have also raised funds to assist their kin and kith who 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."
}