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{
    "id": 1445825,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1445825/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 219,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Abass",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13587,
        "legal_name": "Abass Sheikh Mohamed",
        "slug": "abass-sheikh"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, and I stand to support the Report. From the onset of devolution, there were good intentions from both the national Government and county governments. However, a lot of money has been spent that was allocated to these five counties, but eight years down the line, those structures are not complete, and yet, a lot of money has been spent. If you look at Lamu, it is about 65 per cent complete. Tana River is about 55 per cent, Tharaka-Nithi, 60 per cent and Nyandarua is equally 55 per cent complete. The Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations, of which I chair, has noted this with concern. We visited Tharaka-Nithi and it is unbelievable that the county does not have offices. They did a very big building such that, even if they are given all the money, they will not be able to complete it with the money allocated for that. Madam Temporary Speaker, I have found that most of the assemblies in different counties are still housed in the big halls of defunct county councils. Equally, most of our assemblies are poorly structured and there were no plans to build assemblies. I will have to request the Committee on Finance and Budget to look into this. One other thing that has not been done are residences for the governors, deputy governors and speakers. Some have not been constructed and I believe there is no money. This is because there are no additional funds for the construction of those residences. That is a sorry situation with housing because some of these places do not have good houses to accommodate those senior officers. I, therefore, request this to be looked into by this House. Madam Temporary Speaker, one other challenge we have is that when government changes, like when the first governors changed and new governors came in, they tended to change their priority as well. You will see many unfinished projects. New governors come in with their own priorities. That is an illegality of the highest order. We need to know that this is government money and all projects that have been started, whether done by the first governor or the second one, should be completed. This is one thing we need to compel the incumbent governors on; that they should not start new projects when previous ones have not been completed. When we went for the Senate Mashinani in Turkana, I was surprised to see many stalled projects that had been done by the previous government. When the Committee 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."
}