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{
    "id": 1491380,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1491380/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 151,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Oketch Gicheru",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, we will find ourselves in a situation whereby the county executive can raise money for its staff or staffers when there is any exchequer stress and sometimes not willing because I do not think that we are separating the CRF. However, the county government may not be willing to raise resources to deal with that shock for the county assembly. The second issue is technically solved by Section 119A, whereby the bill proposes, and rightfully so, that the Controller of Budget (CoB) be given the viewer rights from end to end of the revenue from that county. The challenge, however, is we have also seen in some cases where the CoB has been facing the challenge of almost auditing requests before those payments are made. This is another area that we discuss in this particular Bill. We must look at making sure that the authorization of withdrawal from that account by the CoB cannot delay the county assemblies. Mr. Speaker, Sir, other than that, the point that the Senate Majority Leader and the point that Sen. Sifuna, the Senator for Nairobi City County talked about yesterday on the merit of this Bill with regards to giving financial autonomy to county assemblies and making them more effective in terms of doing the job of accountability and oversight cannot be overemphasized. It is indeed a wonderful Bill and I want to take this opportunity to personally pass my sincere gratitude for the wisdom and grit that the Senator for Meru County, who is the Deputy Speaker of this House, came up with this Bill. I believe that this Bill will enable counties to start to experience serious oversight and accountability by Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) when the autonomy on financial matters of management finally comes to law. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I seek to support and hope that those two pitfalls that I have captured, even as we will be going to a Division, hon. Senators will look at some of the ways of being able to introduce remedies to them because they might affect that particular autonomy."
}