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{
"id": 1291294,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1291294/?format=api",
"text_counter": 204,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Mandago",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 13577,
"legal_name": "Kiplagat Jackson Mandago",
"slug": "kiplagat-jackson-mandago"
},
"content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as I stated yesterday before my time was up, I support the County Government's Additional Allocation Bill. This will add close to Kshs56 billion to counties, which will aid in making sure that services are delivered to citizens. However, I had reservations about some of the programmes. I concur with Sen. Mungatana of Tana River County that there are programmes that are designed and conceptualized by Ministries in a manner that befits the geographical location where the Cabinet Secretary comes from. You would find that a programme costing Kshs10 billion, Kshs15 billion or kshs20 billion is being designed for three, five or eight counties, as opposed to putting into consideration equity that we are supposed to guarantee for all the counties. Therefore, even as we support this Bill, going forward, it would be prudent for some of those programmes to be reviewed to make sure that there is equity and that they cover all populations in the country without discriminating. Otherwise, it would mean that if you are from a county where the Cabinet Secretary does not come from, you will be here supporting additional allocation, but allocation will be skewed towards particular regions. I agree with my brother, Sen. Mungatana, that there is need to review the planning and budgeting processes at the National Treasury. It cannot be that a county will benefit from eight programmes conceptualized by the national Government, while other counties get zero or a portion of one of the programmes. The work of this House is to protect devolution to ensure there is equity. The principal purpose of devolution, in its inception, was to deal with the deliberate marginalization of some regions, to make sure there is equity. That way, this country is developed across the nation in a fair and equitable manner. Therefore, the lives of Kenyans, regardless of which corner they come from, is equally improved and have fair living standards. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we were in Turkana for Senate Mashinani. I know that my colleagues in other Committees have painted the performance of Turkana otherwise. I also want to challenge and say that counties that were privileged before devolution, like Uasin Gishu, my own county, where we have tarmac, Nyeri where they have provincial headquarters, Mombasa and Nairobi, will never understand where devolution has brought some of those counties. That is why we are keen on making sure that these allocations are equitable. People must understand that before devolution, in the 77,000 square kilometres of Turkana, we only had two hospitals in Lodwar Town and Lokichogio. Some of these Senators do not understand that to travel from Lodwar, the County Headquarters of Turkana to the furthest border of Turkana and Ethiopia, you would travel another 500"
}