{"count":1608389,"next":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=144452","previous":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=144450","results":[{"id":1462702,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1462702/?format=json","text_counter":271,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Veronica Maina","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":null,"content":" Time is up, Senator. Half a minute."},{"id":1462703,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1462703/?format=json","text_counter":272,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Oketch Gicheru","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"Yes, just half a minute, Madam Temporary Speaker. The economic potential of those areas is so immense, but they have never even seen a quarter Kilometre of tarmac roads that we are talking about. Therefore, this fund is extremely critical. As Senators, we must fight for it to come. I support this Bill. As I said, I hope that the Senate will always stand against any money being deducted from the counties."},{"id":1462704,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1462704/?format=json","text_counter":273,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Veronica Maina","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":null,"content":" Sen. Mariam Omar proceed."},{"id":1462705,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1462705/?format=json","text_counter":274,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Mariam Omar","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. I stand here to support the reports from the Standing Committee on Finance The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only.A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and Audio Services,Senate."},{"id":1462706,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1462706/?format=json","text_counter":275,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Mariam Omar","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"and Budget on the Equalization Fund. If you intend to reduce the Equalization Fund, you have to justify it. We have to know the reason. The Equalization Fund is established under Article 204 of the Constitution, which states that 0.5 per cent of the revenue collected annually is specifically allocated to marginalized areas; which are 14 counties. Its function is to develop water, roads, electricity and health facilities. When you touch that fund, you must have a justification. Does it mean there is electricity in these counties? Does it mean there are tarmac roads in these 14 counties or that the health sector is perfect? Madam Temporary Speaker, currently with the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC), children are normally given a homework, which includes downloading and printing. Without electricity, we cannot do so. Parts of Mandera County, which is among the 14, have no electricity. I heard the Senator for Mombasa County intervene Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale on the issue of Turkana County having water. Madam Temporary Speaker, does it mean that when there is a river, there is water? When we talk of water, we mean running water. People cannot go to the river to drink water. We are not animals. This money is meant for running water in the households. Electricity is part of the life and livelihood of human beings. Our area is hot. We need cold drinks. Most of our women use the electricity to conduct business of selling cold drinks. If there is no electricity, then they cannot. If there is electricity in each of the 14 counties, there is job creation and economic growth. Madam Temporary Speaker, in my opinion, there must be justification for touching this Equalization Fund. With those remarks, I thank you."},{"id":1462707,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1462707/?format=json","text_counter":276,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Veronica Maina","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":null,"content":" Thank you, Sen. Mariam Omar. Sen. M. Kajwang’ proceed."},{"id":1462708,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1462708/?format=json","text_counter":277,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. M. Kajwang’","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":13162,"legal_name":"Moses Otieno Kajwang'","slug":"moses-otieno-kajwang"},"content":"Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I rise to support the Standing Committee on Finance and Budget and the Motion they brought to the House that we reject the amendments of the National Assembly on the Equalisation Fund Bill. Article 204 of the Constitution establishes the Equalisation Fund and says- there “shall,” not may, be paid one-half per cent of all the revenue collected by the national Government each year calculated on the basis of the most recent audited accounts of revenue received as approved by the National Assembly. The base is not an estimate. It is actual revenue as audited and approved by the National Assembly. It is science, not voodoo, not politics and not an estimation. Madam Temporary Speaker, on the basis of that science, the Senate proposed that we allocate Kshs10,867,400,000 to the Equalisation Fund. The National Assembly proposes we allocate Kshs10,077,400,000 to the Fund and we wonder, what science or mathematics they are using? The base is prescribed and specified in the Constitution. If we are to agree with the National Assembly, we will be abdicating our role and running away from the Constitution. I cannot support that proposal by the National Assembly because, Homa Bay County was meant to get Kshs138 million. If we go with the National Assembly's proposal, Homa Bay loses Kshs10 million. We get only Kshs128 million and yet, we have The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only.A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and Audio Services,Senate."},{"id":1462709,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1462709/?format=json","text_counter":278,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. M. Kajwang’","speaker_title":"","speaker":{"id":13162,"legal_name":"Moses Otieno Kajwang'","slug":"moses-otieno-kajwang"},"content":"many pockets of marginalisation in Homa Bay County. The islands of Ringiti, Remba, Takawiri, Mfangano and Rusinga are places that have been forgotten over the years. This money must go to Homa Bay in full as approved by the Senate. Madam Temporary Speaker, as a House, we must revisit the regulations under the Equalisation Fund. In the last Parliament, this House passed the regulations under very acrimonious circumstances. Sen. Faki was the then Chair of the Committee on Delegated Legislation when the National Treasury promised that they would bring back those regulations to this House for them to be corrected. This is because the regulations place the responsibility of identifying and making decisions on projects under the Equalisation Fund to county commissioners, Members of National Assembly and likely excluded even county governments. Those regulations must be looked at. We must revisit the Marginalisation Policy. Of course, under the Marginalisation Policy, we came up with some English called, pockets of marginalisation. So, you could even go to the President's home area and claim that there is a location, a sub location or a ward that is a pocket of marginalisation. In the eyes of the public and the nation, this marginalisation fund ideally ought to have gone to those places that have suffered historical injustices. Today, this Fund is going to the backyard of current and past Presidents. That is as a result of a flawed Marginalisation Policy that this House approved. The Equalisation Fund is not there forever. Under Article 204(1)(6), the Equalisation Fund has a sunset of 20 years. In the last 10 years or 11 years, the arrears to the Equalisation Fund is Kshs39.9 billion. When will we ever achieve the objectives of this Fund as specified by the drafters of our Constitution? Madam Temporary Speaker, I reject the National Assembly's proposal and add this; funds that have already been sent to the grassroots should never be allowed to come back to the centre. I take the view, even on the National Government-Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF). Even though we do not like the manner in which the NG-CDF is organised and sometimes administered, the Senate should never on any day, say that those billions of shillings that have already been ring-fenced for grassroots development should come back to the centre. If we have issues with NG-CDF and of course, we have issues with NG-CDF, we should look at the structure, the governance, the management and remove politicians from it. It would not be proper for this Senate, which stands for devolved governments, to oppose any funds that have already found their way to the grassroots. This is simply because, when they remain in Nairobi, they will be stolen and used for helicopter rides and fundraisers that do not add value to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of this country. We must allocate money to the Equalisation Fund as per Article 204 of the Constitution. We must ring-fence, protect and safeguard all funds that have gone to the grassroots, including what we call the NG-CDF. We can rename it, change the management structure but we should never ever say that that money should come back to the centre. Madam Temporary Speaker, I support the Report of the Committee to reject the amendments of the National Assembly. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only.A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and Audio Services,Senate."},{"id":1462710,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1462710/?format=json","text_counter":279,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Veronica Maina","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":null,"content":" Thank you, Senator. Sen. Tobiko Peris, proceed."},{"id":1462711,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1462711/?format=json","text_counter":280,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Sen. Tobiko","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I rise to support the Report by the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Budget on the proposed amendments by the National Assembly. I am actually dismayed that the proposed amendments by the National Assembly went through the National Assembly without Members of the National Assembly from those affected counties objecting to this kind of proposal. I note with concern that the National Assembly is proposing a reduction of the Equalisation Fund by Kshs790 million. There is no justification for such a reduction. I, therefore, support the proposal by the Committee of Finance and Budget to reject the National Assembly proposed amendments. We will hear none of it. We will not support such a move of money that was meant for marginalised areas of our country to come back to the centre; in the words of Sen. Kajwang’. Madam Temporary Speaker, this money was meant for roads, electricity connectivity, health services and water. Our counties are still extremely needy. I understand that the National Treasury needs to bridge the gap of what was left after the rejection of the Finance Bill 2024/2025. However, the National Treasury can scoop and bridge that gap by addressing the leakages and wastage within the mainstream ministries, but never, by returning money that is devolved to our rural areas where this money is really needed. We cannot continue paying lip service to equality in this country to a purportedly just Government of the people, by the people, for the people, yet, we never seem to stand with the people when the right time comes for us to stand with the people. If I take an example of Kajiado County, I know of three constituencies that receive the Equalisation Fund; that is, Kajiado West, Kajiado Central and Kajiado South. Even those constituencies such as Kajiado East and Kajiado North that are not receiving should be receiving because, every time, we are here lamenting of bad roads, never seeing tarmac and our roads being raised to bitumen standards like in other counties of this country. Our friend from Nandi County says that what we see in their areas could be farms owned by multinational companies and yet, they have had the presidency for several years just like the counties in central Kenya. If they have not been able to address such things as the multinational companies and historical injustices, then, we cannot agree for the little that has been given to our counties by the Constitution to be returned to the national Government. The National Treasury is yet to honour its commitment to increase the Equalisation Fund from what has so far been disbursed of around Kshs22.5 billion. What they should have disbursed by now is around Kshs62.4 billion. There is almost Kshs40 billion yet to be disbursed. We cannot go for the little that has already been disbursed. It should be added. Let the National Assembly be on notice that even---"}]}