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{
    "id": 960677,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/960677/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 229,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Eldama Ravine, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Moses Lessonet",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 67,
        "legal_name": "Moses Lessonet",
        "slug": "moses-lessonet"
    },
    "content": "As the Budget and Appropriations Committee, we have been seized of this Bill. You will be well aware that the first Division of Revenue Bill went through all the processes, all the way to mediation, and we were unable to agree, resulting in this Bill, Bill No.2 of 2019. The Senate, after going through this Bill, recommended an increase of the equitable share by Kshs19.17 billion leading to an equitable share in their proposal of Kshs335.67 billion to the counties, but they are unable to tell us where we will get that kind of money. There is a programme in terms of leasing medical equipment and in the Division of Revenue Bill, we have allocated Kshs6.2 billion. The Senate proposes to remove it even when an engagement between the various agencies of the Government and the counties is already happening. The Senate is equally proposing an increase of Kshs385 million to the Water Tower Protection and Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Programme from an initial allocation of Kshs495 million. This is a European Union (EU) financed project, meaning it is specific and targeted. We shall not agree with that kind of proposal. You may recall that this House approved the Division of Revenue Bill No.2 of 2019 as county equitable share of Kshs316.5 billion from our original allocation of Kshs310 billion because we thought we can afford that much. I just want to inform the Members briefly that in the Budget for the Financial Year 2019/2020, and the Appropriation Bill is already signed, the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), for example, has been given Kshs251 billion. That is untouchable. It is a no-go zone. The entire Ministry of Education including TVET, the free primary and secondary education and universities have a total allocation of Kshs235 billion that cannot be given to counties. We have an allocation of Kshs122 billion to Defence. It is also a no-go zone. We have Kshs140 billion to Internal Security, which cannot be touched. When you add just those four items, it gives you Kshs748 billion. When you bring in the Consolidated Fund Service, which this Parliament cannot reduce even Kshs1 of the Kshs805 billion, that brings to a total of Kshs1.553 trillion, which I can term as mandatory payments by this House. I have not mentioned the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG- CDF), the Parliamentary Service Commission, the Judicial Service Commission, other commissions and all the other ministries. This is to tell you that when this House proposes Kshs316 billion, it means they cannot get any other money. We want the Senate to understand that. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}