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{
    "id": 1385991,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1385991/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 249,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Baringo North, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Joseph Makilap",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Regional Development Authorities of 1990s is the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya in 2010. Those are the steps we have taken so far. The Constitution of Kenya subdivided this country into 47 county governments that we have today. Why? Kenya is a country with diverse people. To develop it in a manner that no government shall discriminate, counties were established so that there is equitable share of resources. What has been missing is this Bill? After we devolved Kenya into 47 county governments, every regional government can address the things that are specific to it, but we did not touch the regional authorities. Their functions belong to county government and others for the national Government. The Bill sponsored by Hon. Peter Lochakapong is, therefore, necessary to realign the regional authorities with the new order in Kenya: the establishment of county governments and the national Government. That is why we have the Fourth Schedule in the Constitution that lists specific functions for the county governments and those specific for the national Government. This Bill, therefore, tries to reorganise the regional authorities in a manner that shall conform to the Constitution of Kenya. It is necessary to carry out those reforms because some of those authorities have become obsolete in terms of performance. They are run by regional kingpins who have lost elections, and who breed corruption in those particular institutions. That is why this Bill is necessary. It will sort out very specific things that can be done by county governments using the regional authorities and those that can be done by us at the national Government. Therefore, resources will follow functions. For example, the Kerio Valley Development Authority’s vision was to develop the Kerio Valley region to the level that is enjoyed by others. I have used it as an example because that is where I belong. We have allowed the regional authorities’ management and boards to be run by our kinsmen. Going forward, to avoid what the Deputy Leader of the Majority Party was saying, the appointees to boards must meet some specific academic qualifications, professional requirements and technical expertise, so that we do not just appoint every Tom, Dick and Harry to run those institutions. As we go through this Bill, there is a need to synchronize this by saying that the regional authorities and boards shall not have more than a third of the people in that particular region. Let us appoint qualified, experienced and technically-skilled Kenyans who will not canvas in their mother tongue. My colleagues have said that some of those board members share tenders and corrupt the processes, bringing the authorities down. We need authorities that can change the lives and bring development to Kenya in a manner enshrined in our Constitution. Even the membership of the boards should be standardised. Some boards comprise 16 members, while others have nine. There is a need to put those regional authorities in order. A board of directors should have no more than seven members to ensure efficiency and productivity. The personnel working in the secretariat should be qualified and knowledgeable. Hiring individuals exclusively from the regions where the authorities are located is not advisable. This is because if you only hire people from the same region, it can lead to the authority collapsing quickly. This would result in a waste of taxpayers' money. Hon. Temporary Speaker, the six regional authorities we are talking about here receive exchequer from all Kenyans, regardless of how they voted. This is revenue from the county governments and the taxes from Kenyans. Therefore, we must nationalize our institutions so that we can change Kenya. If we want to bring about positive change in Kenya, we must ensure that every institution we establish has the right people in terms of qualifications, management and experience. This will enable us to drive development across the entire country. For instance, the Turkwel Hydropower Project was designed to produce electricity while utilizing the remaining water for irrigation in Turkana and West Pokot. This is what will change Kenya. We need this country to become food secure. The Kerio Valley, in particular, can produce vast amounts of food and sugar-cane without using fertilizers. So, I accept that 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"
}