Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1476077,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1476077/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 466,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wamatinga",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13582,
        "legal_name": "Wahome Wamatinga",
        "slug": "wahome-wamatinga"
    },
    "content": "Indeed, we, as the Senate, have the responsibility and obligation to the voters to ensure that we do not only protect devolution, but also promote it. The only way to do so is by ensuring that counties get their allocations on time and that all the functions that are devolved are followed by resources. The recommendations by the Committee on Finance and Budget to reject the reduction of the monies allocated to the counties is not only welcome, but also an important step. While we Senators are trying to ensure that devolution succeeds, we must also ensure that money is allocated to the counties, just like it is done to the national Government. As said by my colleagues, it is sad that most counties are still suffering the burden of huge pending bills. This is as a result of many counties overestimating their own source revenue. Governors want to appear like they are performing well whereas they know well that they do not meet targets. As we fight and ask the national Government to increase the allocation to county governments, we must also push governors to ensure that transparency, accountability and governance issues that go with it are also taken into consideration. We know that many county governments have problems of huge pending bills. It is not because contractors or suppliers did not supply, but because their priorities are upside-down such that successive governors who come to office fail to honour. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as Senators, as we keep on fighting for this allocation. However, we must also set in motion a mechanism that will ensure that all those counties that have pending bills are made in line with the law to ensure that the first charge of their allocation goes to the pending bills. Indeed, looking at the number of Kenyans who have worked for the counties, be it as contractors, or those who supply goods, suffer the same way as the county employees who do not get paid on time. Another area that we must address and look at is health. Health services have suffered for a very long time because many governors and county governments have not prioritized the provision of health services. It is not a priority for many of them. It may surprise you to see a county governor allocating empowerment programmes to different groups, but also ensuring that those groups cannot get any medication from the hospitals in the county because it does not give enough resources. We, therefore, must put a mechanism in place to ensure that as the counties get allocation, as the budgets are fixed, they are not changed mid-term because we know that there is a common practice where they will get allocation and only end up paying those who look after them. Unless we address the issues of transparency, accountability and poor governance, even getting the huge allocation will still be left with very little to see. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, do you remember when we went to the Senate Mashinani in Turkana County? There was, indeed, a chance and opportunity to visit various projects that have been undertaken by the county government. We were left wondering how Kshs120 billion down the line, people of that specific county cannot get enough water. There are counties that have done extremely well with the allocation and with the money that they have received. There are others who, 10 years down the line, have nothing to show. 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."
}