{"count":1608389,"next":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=154770","previous":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=154768","results":[{"id":1565882,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565882/?format=json","text_counter":297,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"May 21, 2025 SENATE DEBATES 46"},{"id":1565883,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565883/?format=json","text_counter":298,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"Financial Year 2020/2021. It is like county governments should also wait for the National Assembly to wake up."},{"id":1565884,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565884/?format=json","text_counter":299,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"Recently, the High Court expressed itself on this provision. They said that we only have three months to look at the report. Why should county governments suffer from lack of funds simply because the National Assembly is sleeping on the job?"},{"id":1565885,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565885/?format=json","text_counter":300,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"If the Auditor-General gave them the report for Financial Year 2023/2024 in December, three months ended on 31st of March. We should not be debating this report based on accounts of the Financial Year 2020/2021, which was Kshs1 trillion. We should be debating this report based on the accounts of Financial Year 2023/2024, which was about Kshs3 trillion. That way, we shall be fulfilling the need to ensure that county governments get 15 per cent of the audited budgets."},{"id":1565886,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565886/?format=json","text_counter":301,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"I urge the leadership of this House to consider revisiting that provision where they have misinterpreted Article 203(3) to mean that you have to wait for the National Assembly to do whatever it wants to do with the report of the Auditor-General before it applies on the counties. Even if it was so, we should go back to Article 259(8). Just ask yourself, how long would it take for that?"},{"id":1565887,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565887/?format=json","text_counter":302,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"That Article states that where the Constitution does not provide timelines, it must be done as quickly as possible. We should not delay development in the counties simply because of that. I urge that we relook at that provision of the law where we have allowed the National Assembly to suffocate development in the counties simply by being lazy or not being focused on their work. Let us demand that every year, after three months, the report of the Auditor-General is unassailable and that is the one we shall use to calculate the equitable share that goes to the counties."},{"id":1565888,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565888/?format=json","text_counter":303,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"The other problem I have is with Section 2 of the Commission on Revenue Allocation Act, Cap.428. That definition of revenue is totally unacceptable. It cannot override what is in the Constitution."},{"id":1565889,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565889/?format=json","text_counter":304,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"The Constitution is very clear in Article 203, that for every financial year, the equitable share of the revenue raised nationally that is allocated to county governments shall not be less than 15 per cent. However, when you look at Section 2 of the Commission on Revenue Allocation Act, Cap. 428, it defines revenue as all taxes imposed by the national Government under Article 209 of the Constitution and any other revenue, including investment income that may be authorized by an Act of Parliament, but excludes revenues referred to under Articles 209(4) and 206(1)(a) and (b) of the Constitution. That particular definition needs to be looked at."},{"id":1565890,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565890/?format=json","text_counter":305,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"Nobody gave the National Assembly the power. By the way, these Acts were made by the National Assembly before the Senate was formed. These are Acts that were made before 2013. Therefore, the Senate was not represented. At that time, Parliament constituted only one House. Therefore, the National Assembly had a free hand to do whatever it wanted. This excludes revenue that should be considered in the calculations of what should go to the counties. I urge the leadership of this House to look at Section 2 of the Commission on Revenue Allocation Act, Cap.428, and establish whether it is acceptable to exclude that revenue in circumstances where the Constitution talks about all revenues raised."},{"id":1565891,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565891/?format=json","text_counter":306,"type":"other","speaker_name":"","speaker_title":"","speaker":null,"content":"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."}]}