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{
    "id": 957131,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/957131/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 566,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Halake",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13184,
        "legal_name": "Abshiro Soka Halake",
        "slug": "abshiro-soka-halake"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I apologize, those were not my words though. An ancient Roman thinker, I think Cicero, said that national budgets must be balanced, public debt reduced and arrogance of the authorities controlled for a country not to fall. When we look at what is going on now, and we are discussing CARA which ideally should have been determined on the basis of Article 217, which is the Division of Revenue Bill--- As it is, we have belaboured that and I would not go back. We must continue with these discussions in a flawed process. One of the things I have seen happening here is that we will sit here, vote and make sure that our counties do not come to a standstill. However, the issues that have bedeviled us with the DORA must be looked at. We must moderate the arrogance and the impunity that continues to dog us, as we go along. As I speak, the interest alone on the public debt is Kshs800 billion. What we collect is exactly that amount. How will we ever find money to give to the counties? One of the things I have said before in this House is that counties should not behave as though they are departments of national Governments. In the own right, counties are governments. They must, therefore, be able to look at issues of their own-source revenue, so that they are able to at least go for a few months as we fight for them. They are sitting here. I am very happy today that in this county, for instance, we have met very good Members of County Assembly (MCAs) and people from Executive, who are able to articulate some of these issues. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in my county, close to 20 per cent goes to the executive while all the line ministries in the counties, do not get Kshs10 million to do development work. So, as we allocate revenue to counties, I am saddened to see that some of the counties that receive the least amounts have the most wastage, for example, my county. People must learn to work and stop relying on public assistance. What is happening in our counties is that people who have a government to run, collect taxes and own source revenue---"
}