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{
    "id": 1491198,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1491198/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 315,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Cheruiyot",
    "speaker_title": "The Senate Majority Leader",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13165,
        "legal_name": "Aaron Kipkirui Cheruiyot",
        "slug": "aaron-cheruiyot"
    },
    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, I must say that is an extortion racket and it must be broken. She has to find the courage and the conviction that is needed of every constitutional officeholder to know that the Constitution never anticipated a scenario where, a public officer will create bottlenecks for constitutional fruits such as devolution. What is so difficult in having this office decentralised, the same way we are proposing here? The reason why I speak to this issue is that despite the fact that in every county, there is an officer representing her office, those officers just do the clerical work of approving what has been expenditure, returning the monthly returns, but not on the final decision of whether or not to release the funds. Sen. Sifuna and all the Senators who are here should speak to their CECMs for finance. Have a conversation with them and ask them what it takes after we have passed the Appropriation Bill in this House. You would expect that money will go directly to Nairobi City County after they have met the constitutional provisions. There is a whole process and CECMs for finance are looking up to us, to provide direction. That is beside the point. However, I felt that it was important to establish ways in which devolution continues to be undermined by various institutions and individuals that we have granted power to ensure this best innovation in this country since 1963 does survive and live up to the expectation of Kenyans as envisioned in the Constitution, 2010. Madam Temporary Speaker, this Bill has very few clauses like I pointed out already. Its principal object is to amend the PFM Act, which is CAP 412(A) and establish what is being referred to in this Bill as the County Assembly Service Fund in order to anchor this fund in the PFM Act and ensure that our county assemblies have direct access to monies in the fund. The overarching objective of this amendment is to ensure that the legislative arm in our county assemblies, just like us who serve in the legislature, can effectively discharge their constitutionally guaranteed duties; devoid of any intimidation or threats from any quarters in our county. Part A of this Bill provides for the establishment of this County Assembly Services Fund. Secondly, this fund will be used to defray administrative expenses of a county assembly for acquisition of proper maintenance of building grounds and other assets of the county assembly, pay salaries and any other purposes provided for in the constitution and any other written law. This fund will also provide for all received savings and accruals to the fund. At the end of each financial year, the balance of the fund shall be passed on to the County Assembly Services Fund and managed in accordance with all the provisions of our Constitution. Madam Temporary Speaker, it further provides that the Appropriations Bill for a respective county shall be accompanied by a schedule setting for the county’s monthly disbursement to the fund from the County Revenue Fund (CRF) and, therefore, ensure that the CoB will have viewer rights. I like this - viewer rights - to see how much is there, but not to provide another control platform whereby, county assemblies again will be told that, instead of just the CECM for finance traveling to Nairobi until they resolve that particular issue, even clerks will now be forced to come to Nairobi to access those funds. I do not think that was the design of our Constitution. Wherever Madam Margaret Nyakang’o is watching from, the House of the Senate demands that she decentralizes the 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."
}