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{
"id": 1626312,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1626312/?format=api",
"text_counter": 284,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Nyamu",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I rise to support the County Governments Additional Allocations (No.2) Bill (Senate Bills No.8 of 2025). The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
},
{
"id": 1626313,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1626313/?format=api",
"text_counter": 285,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Nyamu",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "This Bill seeks to operationalize the transfer of additional resources to counties in line with our allocation of funds and our devolved structures. Nairobi City County bears a unique urban burden. It is a seat of power, we house national institutions, foreign missions and a huge population. Our allocation is still not proportional to the demands. I will not tire or stop saying, as long as I am in this House, that Nairobi needs ring-fenced funds to deal with sanitation, drainage, water, roads and infrastructure. This is because of the uniqueness of our city whereby we have extreme poverty and extreme wealth on the other hand. We need special funds to deal with the informal settlements pressure that we have. Our health facilities are under immense pressure. Pumwani, Mbagathi, and Mama Lucy hospitals are under immense pressure. We know these hospitals do not serve only Nairobians, they serve millions of residents from other counties. I am sure we know a relative or two from other counties who comes occasionally or periodically to Nairobi just to come and use our facilities. I want to address the issue of delayed funds in previous cycles. We need to address the issue of timely disbursements because counties cannot plan themselves on unpredictable cash flow. Otherwise, this is a good piece of legislation and if well implemented, it is will strengthen our counties and let us continue to guard the spirit of Article 174 of our Constitution that deals with these issues. I support."
},
{
"id": 1626314,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1626314/?format=api",
"text_counter": 286,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Wakili Sigei",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Hon. Members, there seem to be no more Senators interested in contributing to this Motion."
},
{
"id": 1626315,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1626315/?format=api",
"text_counter": 287,
"type": "scene",
"speaker_name": "",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "(Sen. M. Kajwang’ spoke off record)"
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"id": 1626316,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1626316/?format=api",
"text_counter": 288,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Wakili Sigei",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Sen. Kajwang’, you are not on. I cannot see any request from you. Very well, Sen. Tabitha Mutinda, resume your seat. Sen. Kajwang’, make that request so that I can see from my end so that I allow you to speak. Clerk, give him the microphone. You can use the next mic or come to the dispatch box."
},
{
"id": 1626317,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1626317/?format=api",
"text_counter": 289,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. M. Kajwang’",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this one is working now. I think we need to work on the technology because this is such a crucial Bill that the Senator for Homa Bay would not vote for it without commenting on it. I rise to make my contribution to the County Governments Additional Allocation Bill. I pray that the Committee would not be in a rush. This is extremely important. The Bill that distributed additional allocations for the Financial Year 2024/2025 was passed by this House only two months ago because there were contentious clauses. We had to go into mediation because we had to deal with issues that touched on the welfare of citizens in counties as well as some of our colleagues in the National Assembly. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, you recall that the Road Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF) was one additional allocation that became extremely contentious and up to now the matter has not been settled. I will be making contributions on this and I will use my full allocated time resources to ensure that we properly look at this Bill. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I have had the privilege of chairing the Senate Standing Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations as well as the The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
},
{
"id": 1626318,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1626318/?format=api",
"text_counter": 290,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. M. Kajwang’",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Senate County Public Accounts Committee. In that capacity, I have had interactions with the devolution donor working group, which is composed of people who have diplomatic passports and immunity and so there are some things that they cannot say openly. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the legislative framework for approving additional allocations, what we used to call conditional grants, is extremely lousy and not fit for purpose. If the approvals for the additional allocations for the last financial year came about two or three months to the end of the financial year, are we being fair to Kenyans who are going to be charged because some of these are loans where interest is being paid? We need to innovate a different framework for us to disburse additional allocations to counties. When we started devolution, we had one instrument called the County Allocation of Revenue Bill, which had the distribution to counties as well as the conditional grants. The courts pronounced themselves that the Constitution and the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act required a separate instrument for that purpose. Whereas we put in specific timelines and through the efforts, litigation and jurisprudence that has developed over the years and through the efforts of my friend sitting to my left, the Senator for Busia County, we tied the division of revenue to the appropriations. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this House must take note that in this financial year, the Appropriations Bill was signed into law before we approved the division of revenue. The division of revenue was approved by this House on the last day of the financial year, but the Appropriations Bill had been approved in the prior week, contrary to the directives of the court and litigation that was instituted by Sen. Omtatah. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, whereas we made the division of revenue on the critical path of appropriations, we did not put the conditional or additional allocations to be part of that critical path. As such, once the division of revenue, allocation of revenue and the disbursement schedule have been passed, then Parliament takes leisure in the passage of additional allocations, as the drama that we saw in the prior financial year, where we were haggling on where to position the Road Maintenance Levy Fund. As a result, counties ended up losing even proceeds to mineral royalties. The initial draft of that Bill at RMLF had a column on mineral royalties. However, in the version that we passed two months ago, counties like Kwale, Taita Taveta that were going to benefit from that additional allocation, which is unconditional, disappeared. It is not conditional. It is defined here as an unconditional allocation. As Parliament, we have enough experience of this matter and the Senate should drive the conversation with the devolution donor working group on how to make this process better. I am happy to report that next week, the Senate CPAC has invited the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning alongside members of the devolution donor working group. We are coming in from the accountability perspective. Again, audit oversight of conditional grants has been extremely loose. This is because some of these grants are conditional. They are national Government allocations to county governments to do specific purposes. Then comes the confusion on who is the accounting officer. Is the accounting officer the officer at the national level who has disbursed certain allocations The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
},
{
"id": 1626319,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1626319/?format=api",
"text_counter": 291,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. M. Kajwang’",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "to county governments or is the accounting officer the recipient at the county government who is spending? Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, one conditional or additional allocation or programme that has had a fair share of success---"
},
{
"id": 1626320,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1626320/?format=api",
"text_counter": 292,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Wakili Sigei",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Sen. M. Kajwang’, you notice that the Chair was concentrating on your contribution to this Bill. Nonetheless, it is 6.30 p.m. When we next resume, you will have 15 minutes of your time to conclude on your contribution to this important Bill."
},
{
"id": 1626321,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1626321/?format=api",
"text_counter": 293,
"type": "heading",
"speaker_name": "",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "ADJOURNMENT"
}
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