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{
"id": 1129450,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1129450/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Zani",
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"speaker": {
"id": 13119,
"legal_name": "Agnes Zani",
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"content": "them in such a way that allows us to participate and get to the solution. As the Senate, we are the keepers of the counties. We are there for counties. Various Senators from each of the counties, for example, would bring this issue and we allocate time to discuss it. Within the Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations, this issue is seized of, the various participants are called and the discussion done. Finally, it has come as a Petition and, therefore, it will get the attention. However, how many counties might want to petition in this way? Some counties might not go down that route. We, as Senate, should be seized of all the issues before they are brought in a form of a petition. Every county has specific issues and problems. Madam Temporary Speaker, my worry is that when the operations of a county assembly and county government are affected in totality, then what devolution was envisaged for – for the trickledown effect of resources and ensure service delivery is cascaded to the devolved unit level – is completely missed out. Therefore, a lot of time is taken on administration and financial issues. At the same time, millions of people who are waiting for those services end up not getting them in one or two years. Before we know it, the devolution cycle is already finished. We must find a pragmatic way of seizing of these issues and intervening in real time and in such a way that counties can feel that these issues have been addressed. If they are legal, purely administrative or financial issues, expertise can be added. If they are issues that concern legislative interjection from the Senate, then we must be able to do that in real time. This is because in the five years that the Senate is here, we should be hearing about these issues every single year and report. As we comment, commit and report on the work of the Committees, then this is exactly what we should expect from the Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations. That, the health of this county, for example, has issues one, two, three and four. We will always have these issues. We have seen county assemblies sometimes having conflict with the speaker or the executive of that county. We have also seen issues between various levels of government within the devolved units. This is to say that in any organisation structure, these conflicts will come up but a way has to found for them to be dealt with in full, once and for all. In terms of financial issues, we have even raised the issue of the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMIS) over and over in this Senate. Despite that, we still have issue. We should not have issues of financial impropriety in counties. If we have an input and output system where money has gone in and it can be accounted for, then we need to get to that point. Madam Temporary Speaker, I think this Petition will bring out some of these issues. I am sure even as we welcome the MCAs from Narok County, they probably have one or two things that resonate with what they are going through. We are going to the third cycle of devolution. It is important that we get the administrative bit right and then move on to the other substantive issue. How is the trickledown working? Are people getting enough? Is the Ward Fund or the equivalent of that going to the ward? Are we getting the water to the places it should get to? Are we getting food, hospitals, and drugs? That is where the thrust of all these is. Either the county executive, county assembly or the speaker’s office in counties, is meant to facilitate and have a well, streamlined system to handle these things in real time. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}