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{
    "id": 571025,
    "url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/571025/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 182,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "The management of county assemblies is key in the discharge of the functions of the county assemblies as set out in the Constitution. We all know that the county assemblies play a critical role in the oversight function in the counties. For county assemblies to carry out the oversight responsibility, one of the critical components is that they must be autonomous. At the National Parliament, we have the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC). The County Governments Act establishes the County Assemblies Service Boards (CASBs). Those boards are not anchored in law and their autonomy is not guaranteed. Therefore, this Bill seeks to establish and guarantee the autonomy of County Assemblies service Boards as established under the County Governments Act. This is intended to enhance the independence and the autonomy of the county assemblies from the county executive, hence improving the oversight role of the county assemblies over the county executives. One of the key challenges that the county governments are facing right now is accountability. You cannot expect a county assembly that is not autonomous and which depends on the county executive for resources and support services to carry out their oversight responsibility. Therefore, this Bill seeks to enhance the independence and the autonomy of the county assemblies. Mr. Speaker, Sir, this Bill seeks the independence and the autonomy of the county assemblies, to ensure that they are able to play their oversight role without interference. The Bill proposes to establish the county assembly services and prescribes the values to be adhered to by the members of the service. It further provides for the code of conduct to be formulated by each of the boards. As I speak right now, the County Assemblies Service Boards that are in operation in the 47 county assemblies are not anchored in any law, they do have any values to adhere to and do not provide a code of conduct. This Bill seeks to establish and ensure that the County Assemblies Service Boards have the prescribed values and code of conduct to ensure that the County Assemblies’ Service Boards are run professionally. The Bill further seeks to establish a county assembly fund for each county assembly service, which is to consist of such monies as the county assemblies may in future appropriate from the revenue fund, established for each county under Article 207 of the Constitution. Once we have passed the County Allocation of Revenue Bill, like we did and also passed and approved the budget ceilings and allocated resources for each of the county executives and assemblies, the monies shall be paid into a county assembly fund. What is happening right now in the counties is that even after the county assemblies have passed a budget and allocated a specific amount of resources to the county assemblies as provided for by the law, those resources are kept in the county executive account. Every other time that a county assembly needs to withdraw resources, they have to beg the county executive to withdraw the monies for them. That hampers the autonomy and independence of the county assemblies. Madam Temporary Speaker, this Bill seeks to establish a county assembly fund where all these resources will be deposited, so that the county assemblies can run autonomously, when they need to run their errands, pay their bills, engage experts and The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}