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{
    "id": 1493537,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1493537/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 378,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nandi County, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Cynthia Muge",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Yes, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I appreciate the opportunity given to me to contribute to this Motion. Land issues are emotive in this country. I want to appreciate the Report that has gone through the Mediation Committee. I am a supporter of devolution and for it to work, the devolved units must be facilitated. The national Government provides most of the capacity building in the counties while the National Assembly focuses on matters legislation. In support of this, I have realised that county governments and the national Government co-exist and work interdependently; they depend on each other. This is because at some point, even if you are an officer of the National Government, at some point you must liaise with someone who works with the county government. On this matter of the National Rating Bill and the functions that cover it, I am happy that the county assemblies have been given a role, through the mediated version of the Bill. This way they can ratify and go through the valuation role when it is taken to the county assemblies. Further, we will also capture the nitty-gritties and the specific situations and scenarios that play out in different counties in our country. That is very commendable. Previously, this Bill used to have the functions of a valuer but did not create the office of the valuer. I am happy that through this Bill, we have established the Office of the Chief Government Valuer. There was a very hot contest among the people who went to the School of Built Environment, including myself, on who should be this valuer; a quantity surveyor or a surveyor. I am happy that the responsibility to choose who fits in this office has been given to the Public Service Commission who will put into perspective the exact roles of the office and the officers who are supposed to work there. This will bring to an end the pull and push between who should be a valuer in this office. This is one of the very good amendments that have been done to this Bill. I also appreciate the involvement of the COG. For a very long time we have had court battles in the courts by the governors. The only reason that they cite is lack of involvement. I am glad that this Bill has endeavoured to cure that disease that we have dealt with for too many years in this country since the inception of devolution. The COG will be given a say through their structures. As much as my counterpart, Hon. Oundo, says that they are not recognised in the Constitution, we endeavour to have a seamless working relationship so that we can stop going to the courts. We should entrench the structure of the COG into the laws and the Constitution of this country so that we stop the small fights that cause delays, hurt service delivery to the people of Kenya and do not serve the interests of the people as a whole. I support this Bill and hope that the Members of this House will also support it so that the people in the devolved system can also access these services. In our counties, the valuer, as was previously, is one person that is not clearly defined. You cannot pin him to a constituency or to a sub-county because some sub-counties have more than one Assistant County Commissioner (ACC) while others have only one ACC. This will help us to structure the office and make it accessible to many people. As you know, the land dealings, especially in the recent days, have increased and the office is getting busier than it The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}