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{
    "id": 799045,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/799045/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 270,
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    "content": "As Sen. Wetangula and Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. said, there is a very subtle way of the national Government getting involved in functions that have been devolved through the conditional grants and the Equalisation Fund. We can see that Kshs9.4 billion has been budgeted for the leasing of medical equipment. This money, as noted by previous speakers, has more than doubled from previous allocations yet there is testimony and evidence from almost every county in this country that most of the equipment that were leased for use in county hospitals lie idle in those hospitals simply because there is lack of capacity to make use of that equipment. It would make a lot of sense if a substantial amount of money is allocated to build capacity in the health sector, so that as we continue to lease the equipment, then we will be leasing the equipment to be used and not just to be stored in our health facilities. On the issue of Level 5 Hospitals, I would like to urge the Committee on Health to look at it and insist on a review of the criteria used in rating hospitals and especially Level 4 and Level 5 hospitals. I am told that in my county there are several Level 4 hospitals but a visit to those hospitals clearly indicates no difference between those facilities and the dispensaries that are spread across the counties. So, it will be necessary to find out what criteria is used to rate hospitals at Level 4 and Level 5, but more importantly the criteria that has been used to identify the eleven Level 5 Hospitals in this country at the exclusion of other hospitals. A total of Kshs2 billion has been allocated for youth polytechnics. I dare say that that is too little money to make any impact. As a country, if we are serious in investing in the future of our youth, this is one area in vocational training where we need to allocate serious funds to have an impact across the country and in every county. Most of the youth polytechnics in almost all the counties have gone down. Some of them closed while others do not have basic equipment such as furniture. It will be good to allocate more funds to develop skills in the youth polytechnics. My last point on conditional allocations is on the Road Maintenance Levy Fund. The Senator for Isiolo County, Fatuma Dullo, has mentioned that three months ago the cry of this country was for God to bless us with rains. The prayer today is very different; that God should stop these rains because the destruction of the road network in this country is immense. It will be interesting to see what impact Kshs8 billion will have in the repair and maintenance of roads in the counties. Classification of roads as county or national Government roads is still a thorny issue. It is not clear today whether Class D roads should be under the counties or they have moved to the national Government. Yesterday this House received a request for help from the County Government of Makueni in which the cumulative costs of doing roads and other relief facilities was adding up to more than Kshs1 billion. If that is the requirement for one county, one wonders what would be the requirements for the 47 counties in this country. I want to make a point on the grants and allocations that come from development partners. Looking at the list of the projects and monies allocated from development partners, I will be right to say that we are going back to the over-reliance on Bretton Woods Institutions which are the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) because on that list we have grants from the World Bank, the European Union (EU) and some Kshs1 billion from the Danish International Development Agency 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"
}