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{
    "id": 1078430,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1078430/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 554,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Matayos, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Geoffrey Odanga",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2286,
        "legal_name": "Geoffrey Makokha Odanga",
        "slug": "geoffrey-makokha-odanga"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I support the County Allocation of Revenue Bill to give money to the counties. I am a very keen supporter of devolution because of what we have witnessed in our counties since the onset of devolved units. A lot has been done by county governments, but we still demand that a lot more should be done because of the funding that goes down to our devolved units. A lot has been said here particularly the issue of A-in-A. It is very critical. Most of our counties are not declaring exactly the amount they are receiving. The money they collect from markets, licences and every other source has not been declared adequately and we believe if this was properly and adequately declared, we will be having a lot of funds to support development in our counties. Many of our counties, particularly towns, Busia being an example, use social amenities that were put in place many years ago to support very small populations. They are still the same amenities that are being used by more than ten times the population that was there at that time. Facilities like sanitation, water piping, and roads are not adequate and yet the docket of urban planning is under the county government. We would like county governments to think about planning and to have roads. If you go to a town like Busia, which is even at the border, you will find queues of trailers and trucks which are very dangerous to the people. They need to be expanded. We need bypasses. All that requires planning and, therefore, the county government must come out clearly to say what they need. If they really need funding from the National Treasury, this must come out clearly because they cannot continue staying in slums. They cannot get the facilities that they need because of the roads and the poor sanitation. Our counties also need to be responsive by getting the facilities that are appropriate and by responding on time. Timeliness and promptness is very important equally to the National Treasury which delays funding for county governments thereby delaying development and making some of the funds accumulate interest and delaying payment to the workers of the counties. People who have families and want to take their children to school. They want to feed. They want to take them for medical attention, but they are not able because they are not being paid on time. The National Treasury needs to up its game so that we do not have these delays that we have witnessed in the last few years, not only this year. I remember even the other years county governments were threatening to down their tools before the funds were released. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, we want to see good corporate governance practises in county governments. We want to see accountability, transparency, responsiveness, equity and inclusiveness. By the last one, I meant that if there are several communities living in the county, all of them should enjoy the facilities and positions in the county on pro rata basis other than maybe one community enjoying and benefiting more than others. I mean ethnicity needs to be addressed by county governments because they are using resources that are national and these resources, therefore, need to benefit all of 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."
}