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{
    "id": 1381813,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1381813/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 315,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sifuna",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13599,
        "legal_name": "Sifuna Edwin Watenya",
        "slug": "sifuna-edwin-watenya"
    },
    "content": "There exists in our books a law called The Urban Areas and Cities Act. That Act is Cap 275 of the Laws of Kenya. It is still in our books. I want to refer you to the objects of this particular Bill and they are found in Section 3(b) of the Act. The Act is to provide for governance and management of urban areas and cities. If you look at Clause 4(a) of that Act which was introduced via an amendment in 2019, it provides for a mechanism for the delineation of boundaries of urban areas and cities. If you go further to Section 6 of that Act, it provides for management in that there must be a way to deal with management and infrastructure in the capital city and that they shall be managed in the same manner as county governments. Then 6(3) talks about- “The capital city shall provide the infrastructure necessary to sustain the following: The seat of the national government; offices of diplomatic missions; efficient transport network connecting to rural areas, towns and other local, regional and international cities and commerce and industry.” So, all these factors including the uniqueness of Nairobi is something that has already been anticipated and thought about. There exists a law to provide a mechanism for collaboration between the national Government and the County Government of Nairobi for us to be able to manage the unique issues that exist in Nairobi, but do not exist in Homa Bay Town. I am sure there is no diplomatic posting in Homa Bay Madam Temporary Speaker, the problem has been that if you look at Section 6 (5) of the Urban Areas and Cities Act, there is a requirement for national and county government to enter into an agreement regarding the performance of the functions and delivery of services by the capital city. This is where we are stuck. This is because the national Government has repeatedly failed to come through on its responsibilities to ensure that Nairobi City County, as a capital city, in the seat of Government and the host of diplomatic missions, undertakes these particular functions. It is compounded by the fact that national Government institutions, including Parliament, have refused to pay rates to the County Government of Nairobi. As I speak today, national Government institutions owe Nairobi City County over Kshs100 billion in unpaid rates. All these institutions that we host here, it would be easy for us to provide these services to make sure that you enjoy the sort of infrastructure you want to enjoy in the city county if the national Government did its bit. Do you know that, as I speak today, Nairobi City County has an outstanding pending bill of electricity owed to Kenya Power (KP) equivalent to the equitable share of Lamu County; a sum of Kshs2 billion? Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale comes from Kakamega County. When he tells his people he is going to Nairobi City County, there is a certain expectation of the sort of life he will live. He will not drive on dark roads as if he is driving to Musanda. He wants to drive from his home in Karen to here in the Senate, while the road he is driving on is properly lit. So, these unique needs of Nairobi City County should not make people start telling us that somehow, the people of Nairobi City County do not deserve devolution. In February 2020, I was sitting somewhere at a hotel here in Nairobi City County. A breaking news item came on the news that the then Governor Sonko was at State The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard Services, Senate."
}