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{
    "id": 923671,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/923671/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 60,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "the Conservative Party. He was challenged today with 92,000 votes where Jeremy Hunt got around 46,000 votes. On this Bill, nothing much needs to be said. This is something that we have gone through as a House. As we wait to vote on it, I want point out a few things. I sat in the Mediation Committee on this Bill together with distinguished Members led by the Chairperson of Committee on Finance and Budget. There is a disturbing attitude that we encountered that we, sometimes fall prey into as the Senate, county governors, et cetera, that devolution is a favour being done for counties by the national Government must be debunked. I have heard it as part of the pleadings in court. The idea that the amount of revenue that is sent to county governments has come from the national Government is a fallacy. The Constitution is clear. Revenue raised nationally is divided, some part to the national Government and another to county governments. It is not that county governments are given money by the national Government. It is money that has been raised nationally that is divided. In fact, in the division of revenue, the national Government is getting its share of what has been raised nationally. Therefore, it is impossible for any other aspect of the budget process to go on. We have heard Members asking us where the money that we want to increase will come from yet we have done the national budget. The national Government has no standing to do its own budget until it gets what has been raised nationally. So, it cannot do appropriation and the same applies to the counties. They cannot budget before they know how much they have from the division of revenue. That point should be made clear even as we relook at the Public Finance Management Act. Mr. Temporary Speaker, as Sen. Wetangula has said, because of this attitude, there is the notion that counties and devolved units should not get additional resources because there is corruption in the counties. However, if you look at the entire allocation that goes to the counties, it is less or about 10 per cent of the national allocation. If there is corruption in the counties, what can we say about the national Government? The people in the dock today are officers of the national Government. We have a Cabinet Secretary (CS) and a Principal Secretary (PS). To say that we should not give counties money because there is corruption is cutting off our noses to spite our face. It is a self- defeatist argument. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I congratulate Members for standing strong for devolution and marching to court so that it can pronounce itself on this constitutional matter. I was leading as the local Senator. We must stand firm and make sure that we protect our counties. The National Assembly is pulling out numbers from the air, for example, Kshs310 billion, Kshs314 billion or Kshs318 billion. We had gotten to Kshs 327 billion which was the last amount that counties got at Kshs314 billion plus 4 per cent cost inflation which makes it Kshs327 billion. We were being reasonable in the previous Bill. So, now we stick to Kshs335 billion that has been proposed by the CRA. We are sure that this time, leadership must prevail. They cannot get ahead while trying to get even. We shall reason with our colleagues when they are ready and bring a figure that is scientific, informed by the cost of devolution and that will strengthen our devolved units. Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I see we have numbers. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}