Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1063264,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1063264/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 256,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Eng.) Maina",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 75,
        "legal_name": "Ephraim Mwangi Maina",
        "slug": "ephraim-maina"
    },
    "content": "Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. I welcome Sen. Abdul Haji. Following in the footsteps of his father, we are all very confident that he will perform very well and the people of Garissa will see continued good leadership. The Senate is mandated to have the central role of adjudicating funds to the counties and oversighting the same. As we pass this Bill, we must not forget that we still feel handicapped in our main role of oversight. It is one thing to give money and another to ensure that it goes into good use. We are all aware of the stealing going on in this country, both at the national and county levels. If the taxpayers’ money going to the counties was put into the real use for the ordinary mwananchi, in matters such as health, agriculture and education, we would be seeing tremendous development in this country. I am sorry to state that, that is not the case. It is on record that this country loses US$20 million every day. That is about Ksh30 billion a year, which is close to US$1billion. That is a colossal sum of money. Truly, the Senate should be strengthened to have at least the oversight funds, so that a Senator can follow the money allocated to the counties and see where it goes. Madam Deputy Speaker, sometimes we remain to witness the plunder and greed that is going on while we are incapacitated by the little money that we should be having for oversight. This is something this country has to sort out and the sooner, the better. Our country is going through the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. I beseech counties that, at least for now, they should cast their eyes onto the health sector at the counties, so that our people who are struggling and in misery when they fall sick can have hope. There are other diseases as well, which need to be attended to. I wish the funds we are voting for go into those uses. I hear that some counties have gone to an extent of connecting Wi-Fi in mortuaries. What does that mean? They are preoccupied in spending money for development and construction, where there are loopholes for getting kickbacks. We, as the Senate, are committed to the welfare and goodness of this country and devolution that will give services to the ordinary mwananchi . We are committed to sealing the holes of seepage in this country, so that Kenya can stand as the country that we all envisage. It is important for funds, as voted, to be disbursed to the counties, so that the few who are thinking of doing good to the mwananchi can do it. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker."
}