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{
"id": 1384821,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1384821/?format=api",
"text_counter": 787,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Garissa Township, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Dekow Mohamed",
"speaker": null,
"content": "With those few remarks, I second the Bill. Thank you."
},
{
"id": 1384822,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1384822/?format=api",
"text_counter": 788,
"type": "scene",
"speaker_name": "",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "(Question proposed)"
},
{
"id": 1384823,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1384823/?format=api",
"text_counter": 789,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Omboko Milemba",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": {
"id": 13328,
"legal_name": "Jeremiah Omboko Milemba",
"slug": "jeremiah-omboko-milemba"
},
"content": " Hon. Wilberforce Oundo."
},
{
"id": 1384824,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1384824/?format=api",
"text_counter": 790,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Funyula, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Ojiambo Oundo",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to comment on the Bill submitted or sponsored by my good friend, Hon. Peter."
},
{
"id": 1384825,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1384825/?format=api",
"text_counter": 791,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Funyula, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Ojiambo Oundo",
"speaker": null,
"content": "From the classrooms, we were always told regional economic development bodies were the engines of rural development. It has been a long journey from Sessional Paper No.10 of 1965 which stated that development will go to areas that have a competitive advantage. As a result, there was a disproportionate development index in this country that seemed to favour some specific regions and neglected many others. It was on this basis that during the term of the late President Daniel Toroitich arap Moi, the greatest President we have ever had, that devolution, district focus and rural development idea started. It is for this reason that I have very nostalgic memories of President Moi and have no apologies about it. Over the years, these RDAs have run into headwinds, either financially, management wise, or in their bid to discharge their mandate. Their mandate has been affected by their organisation, structure and funding. 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": 1384826,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1384826/?format=api",
"text_counter": 792,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Funyula, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Ojiambo Oundo",
"speaker": null,
"content": "At the advent of devolution, many governors were against these RDAs on the pretext that they were duplicating their duties. It has been an uphill task trying to convince them that these RDAs have a specific role that they need to play. That is why there has been a scramble by various governors and county governments to come together and establish regional development blocs, which are just on paper. I remember some years back in western region, money was collected purporting to form a local bank. It is only God who can tell us where that money went."
},
{
"id": 1384827,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1384827/?format=api",
"text_counter": 793,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Funyula, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Ojiambo Oundo",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Article 6(3) of the Constitution of Kenya is clear that ‘‘A national State organ shall ensure reasonable access to its services in all parts of the Republic, so far as it is appropriate to do so having regard to the nature of the service.’’ The national Government retains a substantive number of functions allocated to it under the Fourth Schedule. It cannot in any way run away from that responsibility. Rather, it must continue to discharge that responsibility. The regional development bodies or authorities as they exist today, have mandates and functions that cut across various counties. An example is when you look at the Lake Victoria Development Authority now purported to be brought into this from a separate one. The Lake Basin Development Authority covers the Kavirondo Gulf and very many areas. It will practically be impossible for issues of conservation and some kind of development to be left to a single county government. That is why I want to laud my friend, Hon. Peter Masara, for deciding to bring together these Authorities. They were in scattered legislations. It was difficult to know exactly what each was doing. Bringing them under the purview of one Act, any person interested in regional development will pick this Bill, review it and make informed decisions on how to proceed. More or less, the Bill aligns all management structures of the various development authorities to the Mwongozo Code of Governance for State Corporations, and the current practice that we have in this country to a limited smaller-focused board. I would like to challenge or move amendments in plenary or in the Committee of the whole House. When you look at the appointments of board members, of course, they are the typical ones. That is the Principal Secretary at the time responsible for regional development, finance, environment and the rest. Now, there are other eight members appointed by the Cabinet Secretary all of whom shall be appointed from areas affected by the operations of the Authority. We are giving the Cabinet Secretary unfettered powers and unchallenged authority to appoint even the most undeserving and their cronies as we have seen. Why can we not be innovative or novel enough at that particular point? As we set up the Sugar Board, for example, we provided for elections of members who come from those areas to sit in the Board. Why can we not borrow from that structure in such a manner be it in a development authority or whatever? There is an elective process where we get the people’s representatives from the local area. Why can we not style it in such a way that those who are interested can apply? Once they apply, there is a competitive process of nominating them or identifying them instead of leaving them to the whims of the Cabinet Secretary. I have tried to look at Part III. I thought we would have cured that shortcoming. Unfortunately, there is no clearly indicated way on how to appoint these people. These development agencies belong to the national Government and State organs with any function or activity to undertake there. If I look at this Bill and the National Disaster Risk Management Bill, I do not know how they speak together. Such agencies have no function or activity to undertake there. I would have even asked that some bits in this Bill be migrated to this Bill because these development authorities understand far better the terrain, and the ecological and environmental issues of the areas. Probably, over time, they have established adequate systems of identifying things that require to be done. For example, my neighbour Budalangi Constituency is perennially affected by floods. Through the Lake Victoria Development Basin, they have developed early warning systems 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": 1384828,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1384828/?format=api",
"text_counter": 794,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Funyula, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Ojiambo Oundo",
"speaker": null,
"content": "that enable them to find out whether there are heavy rains in Mt. Elgon. The consequence is that there is going to be flooding there. Therefore, they send out early warnings. That is why we must give these authorities some bit of intervention in disaster management as they pursue the mandates they were given at Independence or during the former President Moi’s days. County governments have a lot of money for development. We must also look for ways where they can contribute towards these development bodies to enable them to discharge their duties. With those few or many remarks, I thank my colleague. I second the Bill. We will make the necessary amendments at the right time."
},
{
"id": 1384829,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1384829/?format=api",
"text_counter": 795,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Omboko Milemba",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": {
"id": 13328,
"legal_name": "Jeremiah Omboko Milemba",
"slug": "jeremiah-omboko-milemba"
},
"content": " Hon. Adan Haji."
},
{
"id": 1384830,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1384830/?format=api",
"text_counter": 796,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mandera West, UDM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Yusuf Adan",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you for this opportunity. I have read this Bill. I do not concur with its originators. During the establishment of these regional authorities, those who were in charge of establishing them must have looked at our country. Different parts of the country have different needs, ecological systems, and environmental status. Hence, each regional organisation was established to suit the needs, aspirations and priorities of that region. Putting them together under one law and making their functions more or less the same will make the regional Authorities the same. If we take the Lake Basin Development Authority as an example, we look at the blue economy in that area. You look at the fish and all other resources within that area. That is what that regional Authority is supposed to emphasise seriously, compared to the Ewaso Ng’iro North Development Authority which is supposed to be looking at camels and goats. The ecological zones are quite different. Therefore, my argument is that they should have specific functions for that specific area. Their development should be geared towards the needs of that area and the comparative advantages of the resources there. It is not proper if their functions are made the same. Some areas of this country have oil resources while others do not. If you make their functions similar or the same yet they are supposed to be doing the same thing, it will beat the logic of forming different regional development Authorities. They should be the way they are now. If we have to change anything, we should change them to perform better. We may find ways to fund them better and improve their boards. Even the laws that say that many bodies should come from an area beat inclusivity and equal opportunity for this country. We need integration in this country. We need someone from Mandera to sit in the Lake Basin Development Authority Board. Someone from Nyanza should sit in the Ewaso Ng’iro North Development Authority. That is inclusion and cohesion in this country. Segregating them and saying that board members should only come from those areas is wrong. We need different minds and experiences for development to happen. With these few remarks, I object."
}
]
}