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"id": 1527172,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1527172/?format=api",
"text_counter": 322,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kitui Central, WDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu",
"speaker": null,
"content": "At the outset, it is important we realise that we are not discussing equitable share, but additional resources which are supposed to be taken to the counties. These are conditional resources which come from either the national Government or development partners. This Bill is being presented to this House a second time. If you remember, it was presented here, but we did not agree with the comments. It was taken to the Senate, but they did not agree with us. We went for mediation, but the process died midway. That is why it has been brought here. I want us to be more objective in terms of how we look at it."
},
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"id": 1527173,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1527173/?format=api",
"text_counter": 323,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kitui Central, WDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu",
"speaker": null,
"content": "The first thing is that we are discussing resources for the Financial Year 2024/2025 conditional grants. Looking at where we are in terms of the financial year, we are doing this in March, which means we are only about three months to the end of the current financial year. If you look at the history of the County Governments Additional Allocations Bill, this House always passes it very late in the day. Because of that, there is no much time for implementation. Before you go to the subject matter of the Bill, timing is a critical issue. This House needs to look at it. Why am I saying that? We have our development partners who have committed resources to develop our counties. As long as this Bill is not an Act of Parliament, the resources cannot be taken to the counties. This means, automatically, we are denying our people a chance to benefit from the resources. Hon. Temporary Speaker, looking at what is happening, in the last report of the Controller of Budget, it has been shown that majority of the counties are only spending 17 per cent of their budget on development, as opposed to the targeted 35 per cent. It means that the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
},
{
"id": 1527174,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1527174/?format=api",
"text_counter": 324,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kitui Central, WDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu",
"speaker": null,
"content": "additional resources from our development partners should complement our resources, so that we experience development in the rural areas. The issue of timing is critical. The other critical issue is accountability, which I agree with my colleagues about. When these conditional grants are allocated to the counties, there is a huge gap in terms of accountability framework. The resources are implemented at the counties, but budgeting and appropriation are done at the headquarters. How do you account for them? The county assemblies cannot oversee them at that time. Because the national Government has released the resources, it does not oversee them. So, there is a gap. Monitoring and evaluation of these resources need to be discussed thoroughly, and we agree on the way forward. Otherwise, you will still leave room where the resources might be misdirected, misapplied, or lost through corruption. The money may not get to where it is expected. On this basis, as we think about the additional resources to the counties, it is important to put in place a clear monitoring, evaluation and accountability framework. The Bill talks about CHPs. The county governments and the national Government are supposed to pay some money. Imagine a situation where the national Government releases money for the CHPs, but the counties do not have it. It means instead of getting Ksh5,000, they will get Ksh2,500 from the national Government and then the component of the county government might have to wait for one, two or three months. We live in these counties. They are in arrears, in terms of payment of salaries. This is a critical matter. The Government needs to think about this problem. If we are giving 50 per cent of the money, can we have a mechanism—at the beginning of the year— where 100 per cent of those resources are transferred to the counties so that they pay their salaries without any delay? Salaries are a sensitive matter. The other matter, which is critical, is supporting the construction of the county headquarters. I have been a Member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee ever since I joined this Parliament. We allocate money to five counties every year for construction of headquarters. They did not have them when we started. Despite the money being in the Budget every year, there has been minimal implementation. We are now in the 10th year budgeting for these resources, but these five counties have never completed their headquarters. What challenges do we face? Resources are there. Can we come up with a way and get this matter behind us, so that resources are released and the counties are able to construct their headquarters? In that case, then we will help them. Otherwise, in a situation where we budget for money, but it is not given to the counties…"
},
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"id": 1527175,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1527175/?format=api",
"text_counter": 325,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Omboko Milemba",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": {
"id": 13328,
"legal_name": "Jeremiah Omboko Milemba",
"slug": "jeremiah-omboko-milemba"
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"content": " Order, Hon. Makali. What is the impediment? You began by saying you have been a Member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee ever since you came to the House, which is about 2013. Proceed."
},
{
"id": 1527176,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1527176/?format=api",
"text_counter": 326,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kitui Central, WDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Basically, Hon. Temporary Speaker, anytime you talk to them, they say they are unable to agree with the State Department for Public Works which designs and implements the projects. They always claim that there is that delay. I also suspect that the other element is the Exchequer releases. The Government is used to this idea of allocating money in the Budget, but when it comes to Exchequer release so that you have the cash in the bank to implement a project, the money is not given to the counties. Even as we blame the county governments, the national Government must also play its role in a timely manner, so that we do not delay implementation of the projects. We need to make a decision on these county headquarters. If we want to complete them, then let us have a time frame in terms of implementation. As a country, we can agree that we will only do this for two years or one year. By the end of that time, we release the money and complete building the headquarters. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
},
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"id": 1527177,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1527177/?format=api",
"text_counter": 327,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kitui Central, WDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu",
"speaker": null,
"content": "There is another important bit which has been mentioned by many of my colleagues. Just as we are explaining the problem of accountability at the county level, as a country, we seriously need to think about prudent use of public resources. When all is said and done, comparing where we are as a country, the challenges we are going through in our economy in regards to economic growth and revenue collection, we need to come up with a very clear priority list of what we should do and what we should not do. Even though some things might be in the Budget, in a situation where we have priorities and we go to an extent of borrowing, it is important to do it for priority projects in the country. These are the ones which will have maximum outcomes and impact in this country. Otherwise, we will continue digging that deep hole which we will never get out of. The counties are with us, and Kenyans have said that the best thing that happened to them was devolution. I support anybody who says we should support devolution. We have a very clear legal framework, institutional framework, resource mobilisation framework and financial framework. We need to support devolution by allocating more resources. When this is done, we should ensure that we use them prudently. If we do this, within a short time, we will get ourselves out of this deep hole that we have dug for ourselves in terms of budget deficit. If we go that way, we will be helping this country. But, the county governments must also ensure that they use and apply the resources in the areas which support the Kenyans who are at the lowest level of the income pyramid."
},
{
"id": 1527178,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1527178/?format=api",
"text_counter": 328,
"type": "scene",
"speaker_name": "",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "[The Temporary Speaker (Hon. Omboko Milemba) left the Chair]"
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"id": 1527179,
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"text_counter": 329,
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"speaker": null,
"content": "[The Temporary Speaker (Hon. Peter Kaluma) took the Chair]"
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"id": 1527180,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1527180/?format=api",
"text_counter": 330,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kitui Central, WDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu",
"speaker": null,
"content": "In that case, I support the County Governments Additional Allocations Bill. I plead with my colleagues and the Senate to fast-track this Bill, so that it becomes an Act of Parliament and open the doors for utilisation of these resources. I submit, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Thank you very much."
},
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"id": 1527181,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1527181/?format=api",
"text_counter": 331,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Peter Kaluma",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": {
"id": 1565,
"legal_name": "George Peter Opondo Kaluma",
"slug": "george-peter-opondo-kaluma"
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"content": " Thank you, Hon. Makali Mulu. Hon. Benard Kitur."
}
]
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