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"id": 1127024,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1127024/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sirisia, JP",
"speaker_title": "Hon. John Waluke",
"speaker": {
"id": 2792,
"legal_name": "John Waluke Koyi",
"slug": "john-waluke-koyi"
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"content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me a chance to contribute to the County Governments Grants Bill. We need to give money to our counties. Indeed, devolution has done a good in this country. We can commend a few counties because we have seen their development and progress, but many are mismanaged. They misuse funds and grants just like allocations from the National Treasury. Let me take this opportunity to thank the Jubilee Government. People who do not know may say that the Jubilee Government has not done many developments as they promised. However, I want to assure you that, indeed, the Jubilee Government has done a lot of development in this country. In terms of infrastructure, they have opened roads in every corner of this country where we never expected that a tarmac road might appear. If something good has been done, we must commend. Most county governments misuse their revenue collections. I think most of them have two accounts, one for sending money to the National Treasury and another for themselves. That is why revenue collection in this country has gone down. Yes, there is COVID-19, but still people are paying rent for their shops and premises and even Mama mboga has never stopped paying money to the county government. With COVID- 19, people still pay their dues, but the money is not seen as it was seen before devolution came. Devolution meant well for our people, so that money would go to the counties. For devolved functions like health, many of our hospitals, dispensaries, and health facilities were either built by the national Government, or using the NG-CDF, which is still national Government. Where I come from, there is no dispensary that has been put up by the county government 10 years down the line. So, where does the money go? All level five hospitals are devolved, but the national Government has been building infrastructure and other things we see. We saw the First Lady taking some equipment to my county worth hundreds and millions of shillings. So, accountability is lacking in devolved functions. County officers collect money from the public, especially poor mothers, yet the money is taken elsewhere. The donors are donating the grants for the people to eat although it is here for us to discuss. Yes, many Members have supported it, some with reservations, saying that they are doubting whether the money is going to be used well. I support that. A dispensary in a sub-county has been without an x-ray machine or any dialysis machine for 10 years. We need to change and amend some laws that help mwananchi to benefit from what he/she contributes. This country has a lot of resources. If it was another country, it could have been on its knees, but God loves this country, and that is why we are proud of our country, Kenya. It goes down and within a month or so, you will see it up again. As leaders, if we can take care of resources 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."
}