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{
"id": 1571972,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1571972/?format=api",
"text_counter": 193,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Martha Wangari",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Whip of the Majority Party."
},
{
"id": 1571973,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1571973/?format=api",
"text_counter": 194,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "South Mugirango, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Silvanus Osoro",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I also rise to support this Bill by Hon. Chepkonga and Hon. (Dr) Otiende Amollo that seeks to entrench the NG-CDF, the NGAAF, and the Senate Oversight Fund in the Constitution. This country has come of age. Those who served before us in this House know exactly where this country has come from in terms of delivering resources to the common mwananchi . We 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": 1571974,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1571974/?format=api",
"text_counter": 195,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "South Mugirango, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Silvanus Osoro",
"speaker": null,
"content": "have two levels of governance – the devolved units and the national Government. It is important to note that even as we continue advocating for funds to flow through county governments, there are elements that remain within the national Government structure that are still critical to people in the villages and constituencies. With a well-regulated system, the impact of these funds is felt in those areas. These matters include education, security, and other services. Unfortunately, there is a misconception that NG-CDF is a fund managed by Members of Parliament. Far from it. Even under the current structure, Members of Parliament have no role in the sharing or operation of the NG-CDF. That is why it is called the National Government Constituency Development Fund. It is a Fund under the national Government, with an autonomous governance structure. We have the NG-CDF Board that undertakes approvals. We have the Constituency Fund Managers who are employed by the NG-CDF Board. We also have constituency committees that collect views from the common wananchi, where the role of Members of Parliament is extremely limited. It is strictly oversight, as provided for under Article 95 of the Constitution. That is all. What Members of Parliament do when they visit NG-CDF-funded projects in their constituencies is simply to exercise oversight. To assess whether the Fund is being utilised properly and whether the projects align with what the local committee proposed and what the Board approved. People have this misconception that Members of Parliament sit somewhere, access the accounts, allocate the money and make some changes. That is false. I often challenge people on this. If there is a fund that cannot be easily misused, it is the NG-CDF. It is time we replicated the NG-CDF model within county governments. NG-CDF disburses funds to the constituency with a clear vote structure. This percentage for bursaries, this percentage for infrastructure, and so on. Members of Parliament have no discretion over it. The idea that a Member of Parliament can wake up and decide to withdraw Ksh1 million from the NG-CDF account is simply not possible. It is not practical. You cannot do that. What we do is oversight. What we are now proposing is to entrench these funds in the Constitution so that the impact is safeguarded. When you compare the funds that come through the NG-CDF with those sent through other devolved units, the NG-CDF stands out. Its impact is visible. In the constituencies, you can point at a school built by the Fund, a school bus bought, students whose fees were paid and police posts constructed. I even saw one case in Nairobi, my former colleague in this House, who in the last Parliament built swimming pools in Nairobi schools through the NG-CDF. Those students have gone on to compete nationally and internationally because they were given that opportunity. That is why some failed weird quarters are viciously fighting so that the Fund does not get the common mwananchi because they know they have no ground against an empowered mwananchi . People tend to suppress others to use them for their ulterior motives. This Fund helps a lot when it comes to the public. It elevates educational standards. It is felt by"
},
{
"id": 1571975,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1571975/?format=api",
"text_counter": 196,
"type": "scene",
"speaker_name": "",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "mwananchi"
},
{
"id": 1571976,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1571976/?format=api",
"text_counter": 197,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "South Mugirango, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Silvanus Osoro",
"speaker": null,
"content": ". I say this not as a politician, but as someone whose life was personally changed by this Fund. When NG-CDF was first introduced, I was in Form One. Hon. Omingo Magara paid my school fees through this Fund. At the time, school fees was about Ksh3,000. When I saw my name on the notice board, I was very happy. I had dropped out of school. I had no money. I had started doing menial jobs in the village. I had no place to sleep. I wanted to be in boarding school, not because of academics alone, but because I had no one to cook for me or house me. At that time, Hon. Omingo Magara, as the Member of Parliament, the NG-CDF was not under the Board. It was a bit direct. He paid my school fees through the NG-CDF. While the structure has evolved since 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": 1571977,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1571977/?format=api",
"text_counter": 198,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "South Mugirango, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Silvanus Osoro",
"speaker": null,
"content": "then, the core impact remains unchanged. This House must stand firm and support this Bill so that the Fund is entrenched in the Constitution. There is also NGAAF. Women play a critical role in our society. When you travel across counties, you will notice the impact NGAAF has created. Though the allocations, about Ksh6 million to Ksh8 million per constituency, or about Ksh42 to Ksh60 million per county, are relatively small, the outcomes are visible. We have seen water tanks installed, bursaries awarded, and other critical services provided. These women leaders do their best to balance these small allocations for maximum impact. That is more than can be said of some billions sent to counties, where often little is seen on the ground. If there is a Fund we should support and even increase, it is NGAAF. As we entrench it in the Constitution, we must also scale it up. It is practical and effective. Water remains a challenge in most parts of this country. Yet our women leaders have provided tanks to schools and homes, helping us harvest rainwater. Pupils are no longer being sent to rivers with jerrycans. This is progress. I say again, NGAAF is worth defending, and our gracious women have shown what leadership and stewardship look like. Finally, I must mention the matter of oversight. One of the reasons the Senate looks crippled in its oversight function is that it is under-resourced. When you call a governor, who controls billions, to appear before a Senate Committee, and yet the Committee lacks even basic resources, it is an unfair fight. They look down on you. They view you as a pauper. Even making oversight visits to counties is a challenge for the Senators. They struggle to get to counties. There is no special budget for their facilitation to counties. I recently saw Senators visiting some hospital in one of the counties. They displayed quite disturbing images of three female patients sharing beds in the maternity wing. It is a very sad situation. We need to empower Senators through the Senate Oversight Fund so that they can work when they see such things. With those many remarks, I beg to support. I urge Members to appear in large numbers in the afternoon to vote for this Bill to ensure meaningful development in our society. Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker."
},
{
"id": 1571978,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1571978/?format=api",
"text_counter": 199,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Martha Wangari",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Next is the Member of Seme, Hon. (Dr) James Nyikal."
},
{
"id": 1571979,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1571979/?format=api",
"text_counter": 200,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Seme, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) James Nyikal",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you for this opportunity. The Bill seeks to entrench the National Government Constituencies Fund (NGCF), the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF), and the Senate Oversight Fund (SOF) in the Constitution. Constituencies’ funds has done what other Funds have not done. The argument of those who have been sporadically going to court regarding this fund and the other decentralised funds is that this is against devolution. However, they should remember that the NGCF is part of the national component of revenue. Even if abolished, the share will not go to counties. It would still be part of national government funds. Hon. Temporary Speaker, people have talked about separation of powers. As we know, the role of a Member of Parliament is representation, legislation, and oversight. If you look at it, their role in the NGCF and the Senate Oversight Fund will be purely oversight. The National Government Constituencies Development Fund NG-CDF has a clear structure where there is no participation by the constituency Member of Parliament. It has a national board with representation like all other boards. We vet the chairperson here just like we did for all other boards and Semi-Autonomous Government Agencies (SAGAs) of the national government. That is part of our legislative responsibility. 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": 1571980,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1571980/?format=api",
"text_counter": 201,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Seme, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) James Nyikal",
"speaker": null,
"content": "The NG-CDF has a constituency committee in whose structure we do not take part. Like anyone else, we may try to see who gets there but it is still in the hands of the Deputy County Commissioner. People apply to be members of that committee. The Deputy County Commissioner chairs the meeting and thereafter people are picked. The Member of Parliament has absolutely no role. The Project Management Committee (PMC) may be the reason the NG-CDF is particularly popular. This is because funds allocated to constituencies clearly indicate the use and Vote. Of course, public participation is conducted prior to that and people decide what they really want done in their areas. Money from the board is allocated directly once that decision is made. The PMC purely comprises constituents who manage it and this is one of the strengths of the Fund. The truth is that a Member of Parliament has no role. What role would you have as a Member of Parliament if the Deputy County Commissioner who is the chairperson of the NG- CDF committee in the constituency and the Fund Account Manager decide to exclude you from what they are doing? You would have none at all. The truth is that the Fund can run without a Member of Parliament present. In that context, I do not see the issue that people have with it. Some people claimed this is just pocket money for Members of Parliament. How does this money even get into our hands? The head of the school who is either a secretary or chairperson of PMC is a signatory before payment is made for instance to a school. That is once money has gone to the Project Management Committee. The Member of Parliament is not a signatory anywhere. Therefore, I do not see why it is claimed that this money is for Members of Parliament. Why is this Fund popular? One is access. I have not seen a single Fund to which people have access like the NG-CDF. The chairperson and members of the community will sit once there is a problem. For instance, a school's dormitory has burnt down. They will decide whether to use the emergency component of the Fund and the work will be done immediately. The Member of Parliament does not play any role in it. Which other Fund gives people such direct access? During the project, the people oversee the job. Although many people come to us to complain about progress of projects, we just have to oversee what is happening. That is one of our oversight roles. A Member of Parliament may meet with the Sub-County Security Committee in need to know what is happening to security. That is oversight. That is exactly how we relate with the NG- CDF. There may be an ongoing education programme. For instance, Members of Parliament get involved during examinations. I do not see how Members of Parliament can be accused of owning or misusing the NG-CDF. Regarding the Senate Oversight Fund, I actually sympathise with Senators and Women Representatives. They have a huge area to oversee. Now, a Women Representative or a Senator in Parliament cannot start legislating without opportunity or ability to go to the constituency level to find out what exactly is happening. How will they work? The Senator and the Women Representatives need money. Otherwise, it will just be a talk show for them. They have to go and see what is happening. I think this Fund and the other decentralised Funds have been accused wrongly. Members of Parliament have also been wrongly accused of misusing these Funds. In my view, we should entrench these Funds if the people have found them useful. The only argument I have consistently heard is that it is unconstitutional. Why do we make constitutions? We create constitutions to guide our lives in a manner that we find most useful and productive. If we discover a structure that proves to be highly efficient, why should we not amend the Constitution to incorporate elements that work 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": 1571981,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1571981/?format=api",
"text_counter": 202,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Seme, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) James Nyikal",
"speaker": null,
"content": "effectively and are popular with the people? The overhead costs in the NG-CDF are indeed the lowest. With that, I support this Bill."
}
]
}