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{
    "id": 1068021,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1068021/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 188,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mandera North, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Major (Rtd.) Bashir S. Abdullaih",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13417,
        "legal_name": "Bashir Sheikh Abdullah",
        "slug": "bashir-sheikh-abdullah"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. First and foremost, I register my support for this Bill. This is a historic moment in the country. I want to take back fellow Members and Kenyans at large to certain key milestones in Kenya. The first milestone was during Independence. The second milestone is the repeal of Section 2A that ushered in multiparty democracy. The third milestone was the 2010 Constitution. The fourth milestone is the BBI Bill, which seeks to amend certain Articles of the 2010 Constitution. We know that the BBI emanated from the “Handshake”. It later on morphed into BBI, and now we have the Bill itself to make amendments to the 2010 Constitution. There are certain salient features that are very good for this country. This Bill might not be 100 per cent perfect but almost 80 per cent is quite in order. In the northern Kenya region – in Mandera in particular, where I come from – devolution is actually the first semblance of governance or development that that part of the country has seen. Before devolution, the number of indigenous persons from the North-Eastern region employed by the national Government was merely 900. With the coming of devolution, we are talking of about 12,000 locals having been employed. That tells you that devolution is God- sent to the people of the North-Eastern region, and particularly Mandera. We are talking about 35 per cent of the national revenue now going to the counties. This in itself is quite in order. The semblance of development that we have seen so far is because of devolution. In some of our counties’ headquarters, for the first time, we have seen tarmac roads whereas in other parts of the country tarmac roads exist in villages, wards and locations. In our region, tarmac roads are something we have seen courtesy of devolution. So, with 35 per cent of national revenue going to the counties, we will see more developments in our areas. There is also the issue of Ward Development Fund. Right now, Members of County Assemblies representing the wards are at the mercy of the governors. Since the Ward Development Fund is being entrenched in the Constitution, even if a Member of County Assembly is not in good 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."
}