Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 1127012,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1127012/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 491,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Makueni, WDM-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Daniel Maanzo",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2197,
        "legal_name": "Daniel Kitonga Maanzo",
        "slug": "daniel-kitonga-maanzo"
    },
    "content": "the work by itself. It followed up the procurements and things like that, but, is every organisation able to do so? It is the World Bank that is also doing the high courts. You can see the job has been done very well. But when it comes to money that has been given to a county government, automatically, the county assembly must oversee. But look, it is not the county assembly giving the money this time round. It is the National Assembly. That is why this Bill has been brought here. So, do we have the mandate to go and oversight the money? The answer is no. When will it get to the Senate and we are just going to elections? Which Senate will oversight this? Certainly not the current Senate. Probably this will not be completed in the next two or three years. Probably, this will be done many years after today. Some of the projects will probably take a longer time. If projects of smaller magnitude have failed in the counties and you only see the NG-CDF projects, you cannot see even health centres belonging to county governments, then these projects have an issue. Therefore, it is the responsibility of this House to make sure that this Bill is properly scrutinised at the Third Reading. If need be, the Committee and ourselves should bring necessary amendments to tighten the ropes because there are very many loose ends here. We have to make sure that this money does not go into waste the moment it goes to the counties, and it goes into proper use. We should improve the definitions because you can see the CS here is the one responsible for finance. Ordinarily, the CS responsible for devolution should be the one dealing with this matter. If it is the CS for the National Treasury and Planning, is he answerable to the Senate or to ourselves? How is he going to follow up this money to make sure it is used for the right purpose and there is a proper audit of the particular projects they were allocated for? How then do you do a joint audit between the World Bank, which is mentioned here many times, and the European Union? It means that the national Government will eventually pay this loan. Who will make sure that the job is done? It is not the county assembly. It is not the National Assembly. The Senate, perhaps. But there are loose ends. If you look at the whole matter, it is county headquarters that qualify, if there is a thing that qualifies. They can, in a way, be accounted for. The rest of the allocations are very questionable. Those are projects which can still be funded through the normal budgeting process of the county. I submit, accept and support this with reservations, hoping that we will make amendments. I will make amendments to improve it and the whole House will be very keen to make sure that this money does not go into waste in the counties. I thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker and I take this opportunity to welcome all Kenyans coming to Makueni Constituency for the Devolution Conference, although we, as Members of the National Assembly, have not been invited. I am yet to know how to participate when there is no invitation yet I am the host Member of Parliament."
}