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"content": "If the country wants to move forward, we must embrace probity and honesty. We should not degenerate into the level of our sister country, Nigeria, where each state struggles day and night to inflate their populations, so that they get more money. We want to have Kenyans getting a fair share of the national cake through the innovation of devolution. This is the only way that things will work. I do not want to personalize and point out some counties, but there are some counties that get money that is way beyond their absorption capacities while others that do not get enough money. This is not equitable. We would like to see equity working. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other issue is on locally collected revenue. The other day, I met the Governor of Kiambu County, Baba Yao, who told me that from his performance now, his revenue collection will move from Kshs800 million, recorded by the previous regime in Kiambu, to Kshs2.5billion. This means that he is either more efficient or honest than the previous Governor, or both. This is because the economy of Kiambu has not changed overnight. It is the same economy that has been there. If he can efficiently triple the collection, then we know that counties can actually collect revenue and develop without relying 100 per cent on the revenue from the centre. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to emphasise one point that I belaboured very hard in the last Parliament; the issue of leased equipment. As lawyers, Sen. (Dr.) Kabaka, Sen. Fatuma and I know that we had a fixed contract which was tabled here. It had fixed figures annually, fixed equipment deliverables and the amount of money was Kshs4.5 billion. I have asked my Chairman to use his vantage position as the Chairperson of the Committee to not only lament with us, but even go to the National Treasury and interrogate those who are designing the budget on how Kshs4.5 billion has mutated to Kshs9.4 billion. Has the contract been amended to bring repayment period forward so that we are now paying double of what the fixed contractor had? We know that there has not been anything in the news about governors, as county executives, being called upon to meet. You remember the hullabaloo that was there about some governors refusing to sign those contracts; our friend, hon. Isaack Ruto being the last to sign and so on and so forth. Eventually, they signed that fixed contract, which was a prototype running across 47 counties. Why has the figure more than doubled from Kshs4.5 billion to Kshs9.4 billion? We are not getting any answers. Has the equipment supplied been expanded? Are we now getting more superior equipment, because it had already been delivered? Do you remember the scandal we saw here where even hypothermic needles, gloves, biceps and all manner of things were part of the contract?The fact that we are leasing biceps, hand gloves and all manner of things that are produced here in Industrial Area--- Never mind the fact that the figure was Kshs4.5 billion. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we want the Committee, chaired ably by Sen. (Eng.) Mahamud, even if we pass this Bill, to continue interrogating this matter to find out where the extra money is going. Is it going to accelerate the repayment of the loan so that we eventually use the money on something else or is the money being diverted elsewhere? Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also want to laud the provision of money by donors to protect water towers. Water towers have been allocated in your region of Mt. Elgon, Mt. Kenya, the Aberdares Region, Nyanza Region of Kisii Highlands, Kericho and Mau - to avoid any unnecessary acrimony, there is a flat figure of Kshs80 million per area with 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"
}