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{
    "id": 1134321,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1134321/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 127,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wambua",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13199,
        "legal_name": "Enoch Kiio Wambua",
        "slug": "enoch-kiio-wambua"
    },
    "content": "not talk about reforestation for the sake of talking about it. We need to do serious and proper reforestation. By so doing, we will be able to protect our water towers, our rivers will start flowing again and the environment and agriculture will get a major boost. On transport, which is the last policy priority, yes, there is need to improve and increase the road network in this country under tarmac. However, I want to specifically deal with an issue here under road and infrastructure. Two weeks ago, my county had the misfortune of losing in one accident more than 30 people when a bus plunged into a river because the drifts had broken. If there is one thing that as Senator for Kitui County will be looking up to, is the transport sector. This Government has made a commitment that beginning next month a modern bridge will be erected at Enziu River in Guni Ward of Mwingi Central Constituency. If the people of Kitui County do not get anything else - I am saying “if” because they should get a lot of things - that is one promise that this Government has both a legal and a moral obligation to undertake. The Committee should ensure that whatever needs to be done, is done so that that bridge is erected and we stop losing lives on Enziu River. Mr. Speaker, Sir, on this Budget Policy Statement, there is a matter that has been touched on and I wanted to touch on, two issues if time will allow me. There is the issue of pending bills. First, I agree with the report that the presence of pending bills at any level of Government is a demonstration of poor financial management on the part of the people charged with the responsibility of fiscal management. We all know that the President has severally pronounced himself on the matter of pending bills. He had given a deadline of December last year that all pending bills should be paid. To date, those pending bills are accumulating; they have never been paid. A way must be found to ensure that all pending bills at both levels of Government are paid before they commit funds to new projects. I say this with a pinch of bitterness because in my County of Kitui, there are pending bills that have accumulated since the 2016/2017 Financial Year. To date, those pending bills have not been paid. I will be watching with interest to ensure that this matter of pending bills especially for my county are paid. As a Senate, we should come up with a legislation to ensure that if there are county governments that have pending bills, we do not allow the Controller of Budget to clear expenditure for new projects when people have not been paid money for projects that they have already undertaken. Otherwise, we will just be impoverishing our people instead of empowering them. There is also the matter of fiscal responsibility on the requirement that 30 per cent of county government budgets should go to development. These county governments in most cases have found a way of cheating their way through the county assemblies. That at the time of processing the budgets, they make sure they meet the thresholds, but when it comes to the real implementation of projects, they divert funds to other projects and we realize that they spend far less than 30 per cent on development. There will be need for us, in conjunction with county assemblies to ensure that 30 per cent of county government budgets go to development and the same applies to the wage bill. Many county governments have transformed themselves to recruitment"
}