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{
    "id": 1418584,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1418584/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 272,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kitutu Chache North, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Japheth Nyakundi",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this important Bill. Regional Development Authorities (RDAs) are fundamental entities that were started to act as devolved functions back then. With the enactment of the 2010 Constitution, most have been rendered redundant because most of their functions have either been taken by the national Government or the county governments. As a House, we must look for the best way to ensure that those RDAs work optimally. A good example is the Lake Basin Development Authority, which gets from the exchequer about Ksh200 to Ksh300 million in a financial year. This money goes into paying recurrent expenditures and personal emoluments. The employees do not have any work to do. They are just seated in the offices the whole year doing nothing. We need to look for a way that those RDAs are either amalgamated or this honourable House decides that we put enough money and resources into those RDAs to enable them work efficiently. We cannot have employees in offices who are not doing any work. They are qualified and need to be on the ground working for Kenyans, and not just sitting in the offices. I support this Bill. There has to be a way of ensuring that county governments and the National Government co-operate with the Regional Development Authorities (RDAs). Most RDAs have done boreholes or markets that need maintenance, but there is no one to do it. Once the boreholes are done, they should be taken back to the county governments so that they can maintain them as the days go by. I also support the standardisation of the board members. Having nine board members is very important. Some RDAs have 12 members, while others have seven instead of the nine we have proposed. We need to ensure that those RDAs are put under one Act. Ewaso Nyiro South, Ewaso Nyiro North, and the Lake Basin Authority, have their Acts. We need to amalgamate them and put all those RDAs under one Act. I want to thank Hon. Lochakapong for doing an excellent job in bringing this Bill so we can amend it. I partially wish to support Hon. Owen Baya. We have competent people in this country who can be deployed everywhere. The people from those regions are also supposed to be on the board of those RDAs because they understand the topography of those areas better than those who have come in from other areas. I fully support this Bill, and thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity."
}