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{
    "id": 1445793,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1445793/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 187,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "particular person? It is unfortunate. We need to make a decision as a country, suspending the introduction of new projects until first, you complete. Many times, we speak about this and people do not appreciate or understand that there is little difference in terms of deriving value out of public projects from what you do privately. If today, of the resources that you administer at a personal level, you have projects littered all over parts of the country where you have interest, and none of is complete, are you a prudent administrator of your own resources? I thought common wisdom dictates that you first complete one project or the other; enjoy the benefits from that particular project before commencing any other. That is what sensible people do. We are being challenged, as a country, to raise the heights of accountability. This opportunity has come out of the challenges that we are facing through as a nation right now. We will be fools who have learned nothing out of this crisis, if we do not point out and agree actually to the wisdom that is being called upon for us to rise up and demand that we must put to better use any funds collected from citizens. The same things that you cannot do with your own resources, do not accept to do it with public funds. We must raise the standards of accountability for people to declare publicly. Let it be known that despite the fact that they have no specific interest on a project because maybe a different administration, a different governor or a different procuring officer procured it, you see to it that it is complete so that citizens can enjoy the use of that particular project. Therefore, I appreciate the work that the Standing Committee on Budget and Finance has done, but I want to believe that we can do better, specifically to stall projects in our county. Many billions of shillings have been lost, and in fact, maybe this is something that, just as a final point, I wish to challenge our colleague Senators to do. This is the 13th year, or rather the 12th year of devolution in our county governments. Just do a sum total of all the projects from 2013, when devolution came into light in this country that are stalled in our various counties, and how much has gone into that particular project up to date, and do a sum total. You will be shocked that in each of our counties, there are billions, if not hundreds of millions of money that you can list, and a decision needs to be made. A special audit needs to be carried out by our county assemblies, and a decision made. What do you do? Are you going to leave those resources to go to waste and ruin, as if you do not care or we make a decision. Do whatever needs to be done, complete. If it does not make sense, then let it be known and closed in the books that this project has been declared that it can never take off, so that we know who entered into those contracts, what their intentions were, and what will be done to them. This is a challenge that we must give ourselves as Senators, on stalled projects in our counties, so that it becomes a lesson. Anybody who procures in the future, any works or services that it shall be to the benefit of the country. Counties replicate what we have learned from the national Government yet, the reason why in 2010, many Kenyans voted in support of this Constitution was because of the tenets of devolution. Where they believe that they could not see proper management of resources at the national Government and said if we brought it closer, then there would be better scrutiny. I hope we can still live by that particular dream, so that we ensure that our The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only.A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and Audio Services,Senate."
}