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{
    "id": 1384827,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1384827/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 793,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Funyula, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Ojiambo Oundo",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Article 6(3) of the Constitution of Kenya is clear that ‘‘A national State organ shall ensure reasonable access to its services in all parts of the Republic, so far as it is appropriate to do so having regard to the nature of the service.’’ The national Government retains a substantive number of functions allocated to it under the Fourth Schedule. It cannot in any way run away from that responsibility. Rather, it must continue to discharge that responsibility. The regional development bodies or authorities as they exist today, have mandates and functions that cut across various counties. An example is when you look at the Lake Victoria Development Authority now purported to be brought into this from a separate one. The Lake Basin Development Authority covers the Kavirondo Gulf and very many areas. It will practically be impossible for issues of conservation and some kind of development to be left to a single county government. That is why I want to laud my friend, Hon. Peter Masara, for deciding to bring together these Authorities. They were in scattered legislations. It was difficult to know exactly what each was doing. Bringing them under the purview of one Act, any person interested in regional development will pick this Bill, review it and make informed decisions on how to proceed. More or less, the Bill aligns all management structures of the various development authorities to the Mwongozo Code of Governance for State Corporations, and the current practice that we have in this country to a limited smaller-focused board. I would like to challenge or move amendments in plenary or in the Committee of the whole House. When you look at the appointments of board members, of course, they are the typical ones. That is the Principal Secretary at the time responsible for regional development, finance, environment and the rest. Now, there are other eight members appointed by the Cabinet Secretary all of whom shall be appointed from areas affected by the operations of the Authority. We are giving the Cabinet Secretary unfettered powers and unchallenged authority to appoint even the most undeserving and their cronies as we have seen. Why can we not be innovative or novel enough at that particular point? As we set up the Sugar Board, for example, we provided for elections of members who come from those areas to sit in the Board. Why can we not borrow from that structure in such a manner be it in a development authority or whatever? There is an elective process where we get the people’s representatives from the local area. Why can we not style it in such a way that those who are interested can apply? Once they apply, there is a competitive process of nominating them or identifying them instead of leaving them to the whims of the Cabinet Secretary. I have tried to look at Part III. I thought we would have cured that shortcoming. Unfortunately, there is no clearly indicated way on how to appoint these people. These development agencies belong to the national Government and State organs with any function or activity to undertake there. If I look at this Bill and the National Disaster Risk Management Bill, I do not know how they speak together. Such agencies have no function or activity to undertake there. I would have even asked that some bits in this Bill be migrated to this Bill because these development authorities understand far better the terrain, and the ecological and environmental issues of the areas. Probably, over time, they have established adequate systems of identifying things that require to be done. For example, my neighbour Budalangi Constituency is perennially affected by floods. Through the Lake Victoria Development Basin, they have developed early warning systems The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor"
}