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{
    "id": 798998,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/798998/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 223,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr.",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13156,
        "legal_name": "Mutula Kilonzo Jnr",
        "slug": "mutula-kilonzo-jnr"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to support the Bill. Allow me to mention a few issues that were not captured by my vice- chairperson. On Clause 10, I want to disclose that the Bill follows the basis of division of revenue. This is the last time we are dividing revenue on this formula. We will have to devise another formula for purposes of the Division of Revenue Bill 2019/2020. There is tremendous improvement on Clause 6 on budgets of recurrent ceilings for purposes of county governments and county assemblies. There are six counties that would not benefit tremendously from the increase. Those counties, Kiambu included, have not complied with the two per cent in the formula in terms of raising revenue. So, they appear on the schedule as if they have not made any benefit from the increase in the recurrent expense. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are happy that the ceilings on recurrent expenditure for both county assemblies and county governments has capped what appeared to be a spiraling effect on spending money on benchmarking. That in itself does not say that there is no waste. There is so much waste in counties that you wonder when we claim that we are allocating minimum resources whether indeed we are doing the same. For purposes of Level 5 Hospitals, I do not see the Chairperson of the Committee on Health but I would like to request the Committee on Health to analyse the allocation we are giving Level 5 Hospitals. It has remained the same. The increase is marginal. That does not mean in itself that the health facilities are not required. Senators, you are aware that counties have not paid up to Kshs2.8 billion to the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA) for acquisition of drugs. So, we need to understand from the Committee on Health whether the Kshs4.2 or Ksh4.3 billion we are allocating to Level 5 Hospitals is adequate. We ask you to do a very quick audit for us because if we cannot devolve funds for purposes of this resource, I do not think we are doing a good job. Thirdly, is the conditional grants. In the exit report done by the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC), they pointed out to conditional grants. That was three years ago. I can already see it. They warned that conditional grants are slowly taking away the work of county governments because most of the conditional grants are on county functions. I have raised a concern, and I am glad that the Chair of the County Public Accounts and Investments Committee (CPAIC) is here. We are increasingly 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"
}