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{
    "id": 927711,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/927711/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 238,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Suna East, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Junet Nuh",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2840,
        "legal_name": "Junet Sheikh Nuh",
        "slug": "junet-sheikh-nuh"
    },
    "content": "jurisdiction or mandate to originate a Division of Revenue Bill. I heard it with my own two ears. I wondered whether that man was really representing his client or he had decided to follow the Constitution. In fact, Senior Counsel Ngatia, in his submissions, said Senate does not have authority to originate a Money Bill. It is on record in the Supreme Court. If the client’s advocate has already agreed in court that they have no jurisdiction, I do not think we should continue addressing this. Coming down now, after I leave the constitutional issues so that you can interrogate them and address us, the county governments are nowadays operating as though they are a department of the State Department of the Ministry of Devolution. That, they can only operate when they receive money from the national Government. Hon. Speaker, those are people who are supposed to generate their own revenue. Before the county governments were in place, we used to have county councils and municipal councils. They were operating without national Government revenue. We used to have clean towns and parking spaces. We never used to see stray dogs on the road. Now, does it mean that we are not going to have clean towns if the national Government is not going to give funds? Where does the money that is generated locally go to? If the Council of Governors says: “We have raised three trillion from our side, can you add us another trillion?”, that will be an arguable case. Somebody is telling you he has nothing. When you go around the towns, you see many kambas. What is it called in English? Ropes! Toll stations everywhere collecting revenue and market centers collecting revenues. Where does that revenue go to? That is not small money. What they are trying to do is to cleverly invite the national Government to tax Kenyans more. Actually, they are inviting the President to overtax people so that they later say that the national Government is overtaxing people and yet, it is the same money that goes to them. Hon. Makali Mulu has said that county governments are asking for more money and they are not telling us how that revenue will be generated. The Finance Bill does not go to the Senate. One of the mechanisms to generate revenue for the Budget is through the Finance Bill. How come the Supreme Court did not say: “Take the Finance Bill to the Senate so that they can tell us how many dogs they will treat and how many morgues they are going to construct?” Also, they can collect parking fees and bring it to the national Government kitty so that we can share equitably. I do not want to belabour the matter because there are many Members who want to speak on it. This is a matter that must be taken on a high moral ground. You can take the Bill to the constitutional court when it has been assented to and look at its constitutionality. But when it is before this House, it is our business to look at the constitutionality of the Bill lest we are later accused of churning out unconstitutional Bills, as the Senate has claimed. With those few remarks, I request you to, not later than Tuesday next week… This is a matter of grave importance to the people of Kenya. Your ruling on this matter should not come, God willing, later than 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday. Thank you."
}