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{
    "id": 1012546,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1012546/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 225,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ugenya, MDG",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. David Ochieng’",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2955,
        "legal_name": "David Ouma Ochieng'",
        "slug": "david-ouma-ochieng"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I also rise to support the Bill from the Senate. It is unfortunate that we are doing this in October when we should have done this sometime back in July. I believe devolution will be with us for a long time. We must accept the fact that we wanted to have resources devolved. Devolution is the best way of ensuring that there is equitability in the country. We must accept that now we have been through this for the last eight years. It baffles me that eight years down the line, we are still struggling with very mundane issues. The Senate’s major role according to me is this particular Bill, but they took so much time on it. I would imagine the Senate would engage this Assembly when necessary to ensure that some of these things that arise are avoided because every year, we have to quarrel over this particular Bill whose competence is largely the Senate. Hon. Speaker, if you look at the Constitution I believe the Senate would have done all that pertains here in terms of ensuring that there are disciplines in law that would ensure that governors do what they are supposed to do within the law but they did not do that. They want to look around and guess what it is they can do on health at the national level or on foreign affairs. They keep poking their fingers in things they do not know, understand or have no experience at all. So, the Senate is better advised that they are indeed the potential for a revolution in this country. They should always try and do that. At times I see them and wonder how far people can go in trying to make themselves relevant when what should be made relevant is so clear. Hon. Speaker, I have an issue with the conditional grant. Grants are going down to counties unconditionally. Every year, there is so much money that is called conditional. I would also imagine that the Senate should have been at the forefront saying no. Every year, we cannot be having a long list of money that goes to the counties as grants. Why not turn them into the normal budget money because they are not from donors, but from the national budget? Why can we not get a way of ensuring this money goes into the mainstream budget of the counties? Money coming from donors also has issues. The Senate by now would have got a way of dealing with the Ministry of Finance to ensure this is done the right way. The other day, a governor was charged because of donor money. I am happy that donors are looking to see if their money is used well. It is a failure of the Senate that they cannot get county government money used well yet that is the only role they have. The intermittent disbursal of money to counties every year is like a song now. It is like the Council of Governors’ job is only to come out and address the press that money has delayed. The only time you hear and see them is when money has delayed. Why can they not sit down as adults together with the Senate and the Ministry of Finance to agree on a good way of getting money to the counties? This is because every month or three months salaries delay. This is because someone is not following the law. We cannot devolve and give the Ministry of Finance so much powers and monies at the national level are not trickling down and governors are crying every day because they cannot get them. 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."
}