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"id": 1472033,
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"speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale",
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"content": "matter of grave national importance. I would like to combine that with the clarification required by Sen. Chimera on the Dongo Kundu Road. The Senate Majority Leader has been spot on; whereas emotions of defending devolution are forcing us to disagree with the National Assembly, that cess money should not go to KURA and instead it should come to counties, matters are not the same on the ground. People do not want that. During the recess, I was on a road twice which is now impassable from Kambi ya Mwanza to Shivagala, Kambiri, Shiamberere, Ikolomani up to Rondo and Shinyalu. People were there with twigs, planting bananas on the road and saying that their Governor must go because he is not fixing that road. Why am I quoting it? This is a road that traverses between Shinyalu and Malava, net producers of sugar. In those areas, we have West Kenya, Butali Sugar, which pay cess. If that is not enough, even Mumias Sugar, pays cess. The governor for the last two years has never spent a single cent on any road there to justify the money he collects as cess. Mr. Speaker, Sir, before devolution, the defunct local authorities when cess used to be taken were fixing our roads. I am not in the habit of activism or picketing because I am a respected national leader and also because I do not believe that sufurias can be hats and caps. Therefore, when you see me join wananchi in activism by saying that governor so and so must go, it is because there is justification. Even if there are no roads in Kilifi where you come from, Mr. Speaker, Sir, or there is a challenge of roads in Meru for example, you do not have the luxury of cess that we collect in Kakamega, Bungoma and Busia. I, therefore, put the governors of Busia, Kakamega, Bungoma, Kisumu, Homa Bay and Migori counties on notice because they are abusing cess. The primary intention of cess was to fix roads so that cane will not rot in farms. However, they do not do it. I would like to congratulate the Controller of Budget (COB) and I urge Members to visit that website. She has exposed the shame that is our counties. She is telling us how our governors use the money we fight for here once it is in their custody. Mr. Speaker, Sir, a county like Kakamega can spend a whooping Kshs418,640,000 million purely for purposes of flying around. They fly in and out of Dubai, Washington and everywhere at the cost of mwananchi . When the same Kshs418 million is the same money, we are asking for it to be spent on compensating people in Muranda Ward who are supposed to be resettled so that we can construct the new airport. Instead of committing that money to that development expenditure, the Governor of Kakamega chooses to enjoy, as President Kibaki would say in this House, “Ku-enjoy”. That is how President Kibaki used to say it. Mr. Speaker, Sir, this issue of how we spend our money must become the main debate here soon after we pass the Division of Revenue Bill. Right now, we are fighting hard, as a committee, to ensure that the Government does not effect the deduction from Kshs400.1 billion due to county governments to Kshs380 billion. Nonetheless, I ask myself, why are we struggling when the money will be misused? I cannot stop without congratulating the Governor of Homa Bay, Hon. Gladys Wanga, and the governor of Nairobi, Hon. Johnson Sakaja, who have led in raising their 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."
}