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{
    "id": 1257832,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1257832/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 283,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "That is what devolution is all about. It should not only be imagined that it is always the counties that surrender to the national Government functions. It is possible for a county government to excel in a particular practice and trade to the point that the national Government actually selects and says Wajir or Marsabit county has excelled so much in the development of livestock and building of the paddocks and developing the framework in that trade to a point that we want to cede even policy development to them. Whatever they do there in Wajir, Marsabit or Kitui, then applies across the country. That is what we aspire to do as representatives of counties in this House. That is the spirit of devolution and therefore, let us not reduce this conversation about counties. My friends from the Minority side, each and every time want to remind us that they wanted Kshs417 billion. It is not just about money. It is more than money. You can send billions of shillings and we know that we have done this--- We have the capacity to stand up for higher than what they are talking about. Mr. Temporary Speaker, we are alive to the challenges and the situation that we find ourselves in as a country. I want to challenge my colleagues, all of us in the Senate, to think of ways in which we can spur economic activity in our counties over and above the funds that we devolve to our counties. It is not just about sending resources. Resources are important, but more important are ideas and policies that will make counties sustainable, over and above, even that which is devolved as a fund. I congratulate Sen. Wambua for this immense and important proposal that he has sent to us. I have seen the fines that are being proposed on large-scale farmers, especially those that fail to register, and all those challenges that may arise out of it. I hope that counties will understand and appreciate, that any levy that has been developed or gained to the county from the practice of this particular crop should be ploughed back to it, at least, to a greater extent. It is not possible to do it 100 per cent because there are other services, but at least to a greater extent, see ways in which as a county you can develop trade, train other farmers, and develop a subsidy programme like the national Government is doing with the fertilizer subsidy. I know people are talking about the cost of food, but you have to appreciate, and one of the things I am happy about is our fertilizer subsidy programme. Those of us who come from the food-growing regions appreciate that despite the fact that the cost of food is high right now, in the next two or three months, we shall have a bumper harvest. I walk on many farms over the weekends and I see the kind of harvest that we expect this time. I appreciate that this first policy that this administration took, of running through a subsidy programme to our farmers, is beginning to yield fruits. The second thing which I have seen Sen. Wambua propose is the fact that it is important to register farmers. The new gold, they say, is data. Data is king. Whoever is making decisions that are well-informed by modern, well-kept and updated data makes the most accurate decision. That is why I appreciate the proposal to register these farmers. We have had this conversation about the media and this obsession that they have about negative news in our country. A genius thing happened Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir - I do not know if you are aware - that upon the coming into office of this administration, within two months and"
}