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{
    "id": 1186049,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1186049/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 294,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cherarkey",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13217,
        "legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
        "slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
    },
    "content": "As Members of the County Public Accounts Committee, these are some of the audit queries that we handled in the previous financial years in the run up to the past five years in this House and 10 years after devolution. The committee has done tremendously well. We shall be keen to look at the amendments that the National Treasury shall propose. As a guiding principle, we will need to look at Article 96 on the need to protect the interests of counties as the Senate. I am happy that when I look at all the categories of conditional allocations, Nandi County will likely get more Kshs263 million, in addition to grants of Kshs208 million. When it comes to Equalization Fund, we will get Kshs158 million in FY 2022/2023. In total, over Kshs629 million will go to Nandi County in form of conditional grants and additional funds as envisaged under Article 202 of the Constitution. We had what we call Sunset Clauses in terms of financing county headquarters but I do not know why the committee did not consider that. I have seen a number of counties that are still being allocated county headquarters development funds, yet there is no allocation for the county speakers’ houses. I find it strange because we had given ceilings for a financial year. Maybe they can guide as on that. We had agreed that financial years before the recent general elections were to have Sunset Clauses, where counties were to be allocated money for construction of county headquarters. Those allocations have been done and I know that is being ring-fenced. Some counties argued that county headquarters are not their priority. For example, in 2013 to 2017 when in Nandi County we had Governor (Dr.) Cleophas Lagat, they started building headquarters. The current governor who has served from 2017 up to now did not find it necessary. So, is important we ring-fence that. There is a time that, as a committee, we visited Nyamira County and realised that they do not have space. In as much us governors want to be popular, these are facilities and that are amenities needed. For example, in my county, we pay Governor Sang between Kshs200,000 to Kshs500,000 per month to rent in Eldoret. If we had constructed a house for him, we would have saved that Kshs500,000 per year. That is the same case for the Governor of Nairobi. Governors should appreciate. The reason we need county headquarters to be constructed is to save on rent. Some governors squat in national Government buildings that are being controlled by the National Government Administration Officers (NGAO). They are squatting, yet we have given them money to construct county headquarters, governors’ residences, and speakers’ residences. Even counties assemblies are paying rents for their county speakers, yet we allocated money. County assembly chambers must be constructed. It is not a luxury to cherry-pick simply because you want to appear popular amongst your voters. These are necessary amenities. In future, the Committee on Finance and Budget should issue a caveat, that if any county has not finished constructing their county headquarters, the governor’s residence, the speaker’s residence and the county assembly chamber, they must be surcharged and sanctioned."
}