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{
    "id": 961150,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/961150/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 290,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "There are people who think that money given to counties belongs to the national Government and that “w anagawiwa pesa kutoka Serikali Kuu”. Madam Temporary Speaker, there must be a paradigm shift in our thinking. Our Constitution is extremely clear that revenue raised nationally throughout the country is divided by the Houses of Parliament to one level of government and the other. It is not that the national Government divides its revenue to the county governments. That is a fundamental point of departure philosophically that we have with the National Assembly. It is the division of revenue process that says that in Kenya, we have collected one or two trillion. Some is given to the national Government and another to the county governments to budget. The Government does not budget for money to give to counties. Unless we put our foot down to make sure that the fundamental shift in thinking that could have existed pre 2010 stops to exist, then this baby that we are cradling right now and is taking first steps to kindergarten will live a short life. Madam Temporary Speaker, the principles of public finance and devolution are clear and spelt out in our Constitution. We must protect our counties. I must say on the Floor of this House that it was sad to hear the Chairman of the Council of Governors (CoGs) almost throw the protector of devolution under the bus by saying that two bulls are fighting and it is the grass that is hurting. We are not fighting. We are not interested in a fight, ego trips or turf wars. We are protecting the Constitution and devolution. In fact, if anything, he should have kept quiet. After that, we have had people within our platforms as Senators, including myself, say why not reduce the money if they do not want it. However, we remember that we are not giving this money to governors even if some of them have been dipping their filthy fingers in the cookie jar. It is not their money; it is money for our people. Every part of this country is a county. There is no annex that the national Government lives in the left and county governments on the right. We are all part of one country. So, we must change our thinking and look at this, objectively. I have heard today that the National Assembly has negatived the Division of Revenue Bill that we sent to them. We shall go back to mediation. I am sure that we will have a strong team of mature leaders who will not give in to any antics that will bring side shows but will say that in all fairness, this is what we need to give our counties. Madam Temporary Speaker, I was in the last Mediation Committee where all reason was thrown out of the window by our colleagues. We simply said that in the division of revenue counties have been using zero based budgets on this expenditure. Since Article 219 of the Constitution says that we cannot change what is given to counties, how do we increase it in a sustainable way that takes into cognizance the state of our economy? In the last Division of Revenue Bill, we gave our counties Kshs314 billion. So, due to these issues, for example, fiscal consolidation and austerity measures, we only want to increase the county allocation by core inflation in the market which is a figure that comes from the economic survey. The core inflation of 4 per cent was taking it to our compromise figure of Kshs327.5 billion. 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."
}