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{
    "id": 1490864,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1490864/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 179,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Abass",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13587,
        "legal_name": "Abass Sheikh Mohamed",
        "slug": "abass-sheikh"
    },
    "content": "The money is available from World Bank and the county is supporting, but the resources are not well-managed. The company is also experiencing issues to do with resource generation. Wajir does not have a water source, it has no rivers, it is landlocked. It depends on boreholes. We currently have about 600 boreholes which have been managed by communities in different parts of the county. The boreholes are run by committees and have now become a cash cow for the communities. Instead of paying money now to WAJWASCO, the communities are not ready to let the boreholes be managed by the counties. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the most important thing now is that water is a devolved function. The problem is that out of the nine water agencies and about four regional--- Lake Victoria, Tana Water, Indian Ocean water, people do not want to release these institutions back to the counties. It is high time that this House supports counties, so that at least these functions can be taken back to them. One other thing is that most of these companies are not even registered. Some of them do not have legal status and cannot be operating legally. Appointments are done by the governors. The boards are appointed by the governors, yet most of these companies are supposed to be independent from the county management. The county is still macro- managing it and doing all the appointments. This could be the reason companies are not functioning well. One other thing is that the money being received from donors is not being audited. The Committee on Public Investments and Special Funds (CPIC) needs to go deeper into the Auditor General’s audit of these companies, so that we can know how they manage their resources. Most of them do not even have their own generated funds, the money is not even accounted for. It is high time because the World Bank or the counties cannot manage the water companies for the people of the respective counties. We need these companies to generate their own sources to sustain themselves. As it were, it will not go far and most of them will be closed down. Legal sectors should ensure these companies are registered and have shareholders to generate their own funds. Of course, a limited company cannot depend on the resources from the counties, World Bank among other NGOs and donors. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, there is also duplication of functions. The company working there is supposed to take over water management, but we also have the department of water in the same counties doing the same businesses. We need to divide responsibility for these two institutions, and then these other companies. These other regional water works and water agencies should be devolved. It is what we are now doing; we are meeting with all the stakeholders in the course of next month, so that we can devolve these functions back to the counties. Thank you so much."
}