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{
    "id": 1393721,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1393721/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 151,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "with the CoB. It was resolved at that meeting that occasionally--- Article 228 of the Constitution provides that at least every quarter, these reports should come to the House. After that meeting, the resolution was that, if possible, on a monthly basis, each Senator shall receive reports on budget performance of their specific counties, which include Exchequer releases and the request for funding, so that they can monitor and do their oversight duties effectively. That practice has since been vacated. Unless I am the one who does not check my pigeonhole and the rest of my colleagues are getting, I no longer see that. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the reason I sought your intervention this afternoon is because I have noticed in the past few months, there is a tendency in the newspapers where we see coverage of budget performance by various counties. Reports by the CoB make it to newspaper headlines before coming to this House. While that might serve the purpose of sensitizing citizens on how their county governments are performing, what happens after that? This is the only House that can compel various county governments to spend resources prudently. Senators should have an opportunity to interact with those reports. Therefore, I seek your guidance on this particular matter. You need to guide the House on whether it is proper that the Senate no longer gets those reports as it was previously agreed in a previous communication to the Office of the CoB and whether we can establish a practice going forward. Of course, these are new offices because with each new term, these offices evolve even in their operations. The kind of reports we read in the newspapers on own source revenue--- There was one previously. This week there has been one on travel expenditure by county governments. All those reports are important. We laud the office of the CoB for making these reports public. However, for effective delivery of services to citizens and to ensure that people do not just read the reports--- For example, Makueni people will read how the County Assembly has traveled then what? You will be asked: As a Senator, what can you do about this? If these reports do not find their way to the House, as Senators, we are hamstrung and there is very little we can do. Therefore, we need guidance from your good office so that we can effectively execute our responsibilities."
}