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{
    "id": 993189,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/993189/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 160,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "(c)To hasten disbursement of funds to counties, counties should comply to rules and regulations set by the oversight bodies to facilitate funds disbursements. Further, counties with pending bills to adhere to the agreements made with Controller of Budget and National Treasury on payments of verified bills and ensure pending bills are settled as per the verified bills. A specific AIE with clear bills to be settled with the released funds to be sent to counties. The funds are available. (d)To support MSMEs to continue with their businesses during the Pandemic. The Government to hasten the planned liquidity support for small and medium enterprises through credit to banks and other financial institutions. To further promote MSMEs emphasis to be made to Government agencies to procure available items from the local firms as much as possible. Mr. Speaker, Sir, in our discussion, the National Treasury reported to us that they were in an advanced stage with our development partners to get a grant and concessional loan of around Kshs120 billion to cushion small businesses. This money should be channeled through our lending institutions at low rates. A business can demonstrate what it has been making in this same period, in the last financial and how it has been affected by the pandemic. For us to make sure that people do not fire their employees or get direct money to pay their rent, we should protect these businesses especially in the hospitality and tourism sector through such a wage subsidy fund. We will affect many Kenyans. If these businesses demonstrate the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) they have been paying for their employees, their cash flows and turnovers but during this period, they get money from the banks which they already have a relationship at a discounted rate, we will have done a great service to our country. We have made further recommendations in our Bill as part of the amendments on the wage subsidy fund that is needed as a matter of an urgency for our businesses today. To reduce further disruption on supply chain, counties need to facilitate retail markets by adherence to the Ministry of Health requirements to ensure social distancing and provision of the necessary sanitary facilities in market areas. We have seen this in very few counties; other counties are not following this. Mr. Speaker, Sir, on the underperformance of own-source revenue affecting the credibility of the county budgets, promotion of automation of own-source revenue collection stream to be done to curb leakages and to consider legislation--- I am glad that Sen. M. Kajwang’ spoke on the need for county assemblies to resume and us, as the Senate, to guide them on how they can resume, so as to play their role. Mr. Speaker, Sir, at this time of the pandemic, a lot of mischief is happening in counties because the assemblies are not sitting. Many governors have even colluded with leaders of majority and minority not to cause the resumption of county assemblies, but to continue doing direct procurement of masks, Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), items for fumigation, chemicals et cetera from their chronies. As the Senate, we need to state that county assemblies must resume, of course, following certain guidelines, like we are resuming because we have not suspended oversight in this country. 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."
}