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{
"id": 1491197,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1491197/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
"speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
"speaker": {
"id": 13165,
"legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
"slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
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"content": "counsels for county assemblies stand on the dock there and counsels for county governors take the floor are financial management of our resources at the county level. One of the ways in which county assemblies are weakened is by the very basic fact that for them to even just get their salaries, something that is constitutionally and statutory guaranteed. Most time, our MCAs have to sing to the tunes of the executives. It is unfortunate. In fact, as a Senate, we owe them an apology for having taken long to free them from that kind of slavery. We are completely unfair to our brothers and sisters in the county assemblies. As Parliament, we have our own votes. When we make our determination on issues, there is nothing that the Executive can do. Despite the fact that we share resources given by the National Treasury, our requests do not go through anybody else. Once the Clerk of this House signs imprest warrants, they go straight to the National Treasury, we get our salaries, mileage allowances and whatever facilitation that we need to perform our constitutional mandate. Madam Temporary Speaker, can you imagine the humiliation that a clerk of a county assembly has to go through when they apply through the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Finance? For example, they may be told that the previous week they did not like the kind of things they were saying. They may be asked why they are not respectful to the Governor or why their Majority Leader is insulting a particular CECM at public functions. That was not the constitutional design of how county governments are supposed to function. That is why we made the decision at the Senate Business Committee (SBC) this afternoon, to give priority to this particular Bill. We want Members speak to it in order to conclude the process, find a champion for the same in the National Assembly, and if possible, before we break for the long recess in December, grant our county governments the financial autonomy that they have been yearning for too long. Madam Temporary Speaker, that is why this afternoon, I invite the House to read through this very basic elementary legislation, which can be understood by even non- practitioners of law. We have to do this because we know what our county assembly members have to go through. Madam Temporary Speaker, there is the office of the Controller of Budget (CoB) which has a representative in every county government. Just to digress a bit, I saw the new Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury and Economic Planning, hon. John Mbadi say something that I have always tried to canvass on this Floor, but no one seems to be paying attention. You will recall, that a few months ago, I asked, the substantive Speaker to invite Madam Margaret Nyakang’o, the CoB to come and have a conversation with the Senators. The reason I wanted her to appear before this House was because I wanted to understand why we cannot decentralise the operation of her office to all the 47 county governments. Why is it that in this day and age, despite all the advancements in technology, CECMs have to travel from Lamu, Busia, Bungoma, Kericho and other counties to camp in Nairobi for two to three days and sometimes even weeks on end, for them to get access to the funds that are due to them? The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}