Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1347496,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1347496/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 368,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Oketch Gicheru",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "For instance, Clause Four of the Bill proposes the amendment of Section 68 of the Act to provide for additional functions of Water Works Development Agencies. I am a Member of the County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee. This entire year, one thing that I have been doing together with my colleagues, and under the leadership of our able Chairperson, the Senator for Vihiga County, Sen. Osotsi, is to look at what we call country strategic plans for all the water service providers in all our counties across the country. These water service providers are facing some serious eminent challenges from the Water Works Development Agencies to the extent that I personally believe that should this debate continue next week; the Members of our Committee will tell you that one of the reasons we have got dysfunctional water services in our counties is because of these agencies. They are completely making it difficult for water service providers to operate. They control all the asset bases that are there to provide water. These assets are sitting in their books. They are using those assets to take huge loans from banks. Those huge loans are not restricted to the water service providers and their activities in respective counties to the extent that where that loan is used, we cannot substantiate. Then they are forcing counties to pay for those loans on those water services; loans that they were not part of and do not know why they were taken in the first place, and that are not integrated with those respective county development plans that we work very hard to develop. If there is one thing that this Bill could have proposed is the banning and disbanding of all these Water Works Development Agencies. We do not need them. If you look at things like integration of bulk waters across bodies right now, as we are talking, the Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB) is struggling to cluster some of the water service providers in different counties. I know for sure that Kisii and Nyamira counties are having a stalemate right now on who runs the Kisii Water Company that is the biggest distributor of water in that area. There is nothing like a water development agency coming to help them to provide water in a way that they are developing similar infrastructure. In fact, they have approached the Committee. We have had the Governor and the County Executive of Nyamira approaching the Committee to help them separate these two companies, which I think is the best spirit. Also, the Governor of Kisii, Hon. Simba Arati, has approached the same committee to separate this particular Water Service Provider (WSP) so that everybody can provide water that is safe, accessible to their respective counties in volumes that can be able to sustain their population. Therefore, we do not need these water agencies. Secondly, these water agencies, while they have these assets of water provision in these counties, in their balance sheets, the servicing of those assets, has no proper agreement drawn between them and water service providers. It is not that they do not have capabilities of being able to draw these agreements, it is a deliberate way to make sure that they can strain those water service providers financially by essentially making it easier for them to own the assets and use them for whatever purposes of their balance"
}