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{
    "id": 798085,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/798085/?format=api",
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    "content": "The President outlined the changes that have taken place since the onset of devolution, which are strongly related and supported; for example, the change of the funding that was introduced through devolution, which as Senators we must know that our role is to protect counties. He noted the rise from Kshs210 billion to Kshs327 billion at the moment and the in fact, the new Financial Year’s figure of Kshs372 billion. As he noted that, he pointed out that the Kshs2 billion has been released for Equalisation Fund. The national as well as the county governments have done their part. As the oversight team, we need to start looking at the impact of the billions that have been released, from the Kshs210 billion to the current Kshs372 billion. This is extremely important because just as any company has an internal audit, the Senate remains the internal audit for the county governments. We must ensure that the funding that is released to the county governments is utilised well, to the satisfaction and benefit of all. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Equalisation Fund needs interrogation by this House. A lot has been mentioned in other presentations, even during statements time, on the issue of the Equalisation Fund. How the boundaries were delineated needs to be interrogated by this House. We need to look at boundaries, particularly those bordering locations and sub locations to areas that are enjoying the Equalisation Fund. I say this because in Uasin Gishu County, we have one location that is extremely rural and was actually once classified as a hardship area. I keep asking myself the difference between locations and sub-locations that receive the Equalisation Fund in relation to those that were previously known as hardship areas. We need to interrogate this soberly and ensure that all marginalised areas are taken care of. The President also talked about a number of other issues and I was happy with his reconciliatory tone throughout his presentation. This is important for us as Senators because former Senators and governors do not want to remember the past five years. That was a period of acrimony which created a lot of division even within counties yet we know that any funds that go to the counties is money that all of us should be enjoying and discussing. So, the reconciliatory tone was extremely important and I think it was good that we extended the handshakes amongst ourselves. I urge Senators to go further and extend the handshakes to governors and ensure that the nation enjoys the fruits of having elected leaders. Leadership is important for us and we must move forward to ensure that any resources given to our counties are enjoyed to the full by the population. We also need to have some time, like we did in Kakamega, to understand that oversight is not an evil activity but ensuring that our resources are well used. Those resources do not belong to a governor, a senator or any Member of Parliament (MP) but they belong to all of us. We should utilise them properly because the way they are used will dictate how our performance will be rated. It should be all of us and not just one arm of Government. In one of the nice reconciliatory tones, the Head of State reminded us that teachers, parents and all of us as leaders must learn to inculcate values in our children and this is very important. We need to look at our curricula right from the Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) which is a devolved function. We need to know the 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."
}