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{
    "id": 1385970,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1385970/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 228,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Samburu North, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Letipila Eli",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "constituencies and parts of this country that were victims of Sessional Paper No.10, which legitimately marginalised parts of this country. It made parts of this country less productive and, therefore, un-deserving of State support in terms of development. Regional Development Authorities have provided strategic interventions through mega projects of national values like mega-dams. They have greatly helped this country in food security through irrigation, among other measures. Regional Authorities have been a great complement to devolution, especially at the national level. They should be viewed as such. This Bill seeks to consolidate all RDAs under one legislation because individual RDAs have been having their Acts. In essence, each has been having an even board membership. This Bill seeks to drop them from twelve to nine members. It also seeks to align RDAs with the Constitution of Kenya 2010. I support the sentiments of Hon. Otiende Amollo on the constitution of the membership of those boards. I believe that the Constitution of Kenya gives every Kenyan an equal opportunity to serve in this country, and that meritocracy should be the order of choosing the memberships of those authorities. I also support the idea that the membership of the boards of those authorities should include the locals. Those authorities serve specific areas. The locals have better knowledge of prevailing situations and conditions in those areas. An example is regional authorities that serve areas like Northern Kenya. People from specific places where those authorities serve better understand the problems that are affecting those communities. Therefore, they are better placed to serve and offer services and advice that will add value to the authorities in those areas. I thank the Committee on Regional Integration for taking views during public participation where those things were part of what came out strongly. We were getting strong sentiments that those authorities are purviews of political appointees who do not add value. For better service delivery, communities said we need local representation in those authorities. This Bill took those views, that the membership should include locals. We also got sentiments that the membership is bloated. That is why we have reduced the board membership. I believe that RDAs should be retained at the national level to complement the development at the other levels of Government. The notion that RDAs should go to devolved units got strong opposition during public participation. The people giving feedback strongly supported the RDAs to remain at the national level. Many of them view RDAs the same way they view the development by the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) at the constituency level. They say that they are seeing more impact. They are getting more value for their money from those RDAs. I support that they should remain at the national level. They should not go to devolved units unlike what the Deputy Leader of the Majority Party was saying. I support Hon. Otiende Amollo that the Deputy Leader of the Majority has confused us all. We did not know whether he was supporting or opposing the Bill. If he had gone through the Bill properly, he would have read and understood what I am saying as a Member of this Committee. Thank you. That is my submission."
}