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{
    "id": 1381814,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1381814/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 316,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sifuna",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13599,
        "legal_name": "Sifuna Edwin Watenya",
        "slug": "sifuna-edwin-watenya"
    },
    "content": "House signing a deed of transfer of functions from the County Government to the national Government. I was in shock. I could not believe it. In fact, it is the one time that I have been caught flat-footed about the possibility of such things happening under sanction our Constitution. I did not know that it could be done. I was in shock. Two months later, in April 2020, Governor Sonko was saying he signed that thing under duress. It was a dark time for those of us who believe in devolution. The question is still out there. Those of us who have the opinion that Nairobi City County needs to be managed differently, has the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) done any better? As I speak today, over Kshs20 billion is still outstanding as pending bills. They hired people the same way that the county government does. There were serious questions as to whether the NMS was following procurement procedures in some of the works that you saw being done at lightning speed. They were not as hamstrung by the same rules of procurement as the county government. We have a problem with leadership in Nairobi City County. As I have explained to you, even in 2020, part of the problem was the then leadership. Madam Temporary Speaker, I believe I have dwelt enough on this particular subject. Allow me to deal with the substance of this Bill. I beg my colleagues not to look at Nairobi City County as a problem, but as a county that needs to be managed by a manager. The people of Nairobi City County have suffrage. They deserve services being devolved to the lowest possible level. They deserve to see Members of County Assembly (MCAs); people they can ask about the road passing outside their house. They deserve to ask the Governor why the garbage at Umoja Innercore has not been collected since September. Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, who will they ask when you tell us that there is this manager who is going to come? The experience of the NMS was that the manager for Nairobi City County was walled up at State House, an institution some of us in the opposition cannot be allowed to visit. I want to see the Governor; the person responsible for my resources, the MCA and so on and so forth. I want this House to know that those problems of overemployment and spending the bulk of the money on personal emoluments and salaries are also present in Nairobi City County. If you speak to the Finance Officer in Nairobi City County, she will tell you that the exchequer amount that comes every month is equivalent to the salary that goes out. So, very little in terms of revenue excesses is left for development, yet Nairobi City County has the potential to collect so much in terms of own source revenue. Madam Temporary Speaker, the problem is that we have not sealed loopholes. As I speak, right now in Nairobi City County Assembly, there is a serious inquiry into the revenue streams. That is whether we are collecting and whether we are managing our revenue management system. When my governor appeared before the committee that is ably led by the Senator for Homa Bay, he told us that the servers running the revenue collecting system are at City Hall and that he can see them. Sen. M. Kajwang’ will be shocked to learn today that 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."
}