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{
"id": 1068999,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1068999/?format=api",
"text_counter": 217,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Ochillo-Ayacko",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, certain functions are devolved; health, agriculture and other activities. Sen. Ndwiga, Sen. Khaniri, Sen. Orengo, other Senators, including myself, had the privilege of representing our constituencies when there was no allocation of any kind to those constituencies. We came to Parliament when the allocation to Parliament was zero, and there was no development at that time in our constituencies. We were told that siasa mbaya nimaisha mbaya. If people voted for you in Opposition, you would not get development. We had to carry out development, which was public. We had to build secondary and primary schools and dispensaries using our personal resources, when our salaries were at that time only Kshs23,000. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we came together and amended the Constitution. We introduced the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC). We came together and amended the law and introduced, against the will of the Executive, the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF). That was the first step towards devolution. We have since then had tremendous meteoric development in various parts of this country. Many of us may not have been in Parliament, but if you go to the countryside, you will find that we have various schools that are standard and good-looking for our people to go to. Now that there is money being allocated to mashinani to constituencies, wards and counties, we who participated in the first step towards devolving resources, are a happy lot. Mr. Speaker, Sir, it makes me very happy that more money will be allocated to counties and wards. That will make democracy meaningful to people. What the people who are represented in wards, counties and constituencies vote for is ‘ tafadhali enda kwaBunge upigiwe kura na ulete maendeleo.’ ‘Maendeleo’ is all about resources. This amendment gives meaning and life to the wishes of the public of voting for people to bring development. Development is resources and this Constitution is progressive. It has very many benefits that our people would love. There are devolved functions like agriculture. I was in my village of birth, where we are dependent on sugarcane growing and milling. My people who visited me in my home were asking me to look for money and have it given to Sony Sugar Company for expansion of the factory and payment of farmers, who have laboured to deliver their cane to the factory. Other people came to me and talked about the need to fund fisheries. All these cannot happen if more resources are not devolved to counties, yet there are resources stuck with the national Government. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I heard my brother, Sen. Ndwiga, praise the Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives, Hon. Munya, for doing something good with regard to coffee, tea and other crops. We, in other parts of the nation, do not want to be at the mercy or discretion of a CS. We want to get our devolved money for agriculture by right and determine which agricultural or fishing activity we deploy it to. We have tobacco in Migori County, in Uriri, Nyatike, Kuria East and Kuria West in abundance, but we are at the mercy or discretion of the CS. When money is increased to 35 per cent, if it is taken or got out of what is left out of the national stage, then we will"
}