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{
"id": 956984,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/956984/?format=api",
"text_counter": 419,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof.) Kamar",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 33,
"legal_name": "Margaret Jepkoech Kamar",
"slug": "margaret-kamar"
},
"content": "could not proceed because we felt that the people had prepared themselves to come and fight and not to mediate. Those are lessons for the future. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in supporting this Bill, it is just a slight retreat so that we re-plan ourselves on how we are going forward. We need to plan on how the budgeting process is done and how the sharing is done in the future. We hope that not only will the court process give us the right procedure of doing it, but that we shall also institute ways, in this Senate, in which this country can obey the Constitution that it passed. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I continue to insist that this country does not live in isolation; it lives in a region, in a continent and in an international community. In 2001, the Heads of State of Africa met in Abuja and made a declaration and a commitment. Kenya was part of this commitment, because it came to Parliament and it was passed. We approved that we should allocate 15 per cent of the budget – not audited accounts, but the budget – to health. By the year 2014 to 2015, when a review was done, it was shocking because Kenya was at 4 per cent, while our neighbours, Uganda, were at 8 per cent. We, therefore, ask ourselves when the rain started beating Kenyans. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, at the same time in Maputo in 2003, Kenya was part of a huge delegation there. The President led a delegation and there was a commitment by the Assembly of African Union leaders, our Head of State included. Another commitment for food security purposes was made; that the African States were going to commit themselves that 10 per cent of their budget again – not of the audited accounts, but of their budget – would go to agriculture. I am picking these two because agriculture and health are devolved in our Constitution. If we were able to budget 10 per cent for agriculture and 15 per cent for health, the budgeted amount that we are looking at would almost be double. This is because this budget that we have, of over Kshs 3 trillion, 25 per cent alone would have covered something more than what we are talking about. Therefore, even the arguments and discussions that we are having with the National Assembly is nothing compared to the commitments that we have made nationally, regionally, continentally and internationally. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we need to start asking ourselves the big questions; where are we going as a country? We need to start this conversation; even the conversation between us, as the Senate, and the National Assembly. We cannot continue going for mediation, where there is no mediation because there are quarrels and shouting. This is because some people think that they have already made up their minds about what they are going to tell the Senate, and want to dictate to the Senate. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we are the custodians and protectors of the counties. This country chose to go for a devolved system of government, and we are going to stand by this. I, therefore, urge this House to stand and be counted. Let this term, the second term of Senators, be the term that will define how devolution is going to be, how we will implement it, and what we are going to do because we cannot wait for the third Senate to come and do this. We, as a Senate, must do it. I am so proud to be part of this Senate, because nobody wavered in this group. We are only doing this for the good of the counties. We came to Kitui and we were told that all hospitals are closed. It is for that reason when yesterday I heard that there is no functional hospital, I said that we need to pass this thing so that we work on it in future. With those remarks, I beg to support."
}