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{
    "id": 1502732,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1502732/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 164,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Okenyuri",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Members who sat to mediate over this issue, from our side of the Senate, I see very good brains. Even on the other side of the National Assembly, we have people like one Hon. (Dr.) John Chikati, who was my former boss at my previous workplace. Interestingly, mediation offers a chance for us to cede ground on some of the issues that we would have not otherwise considered. I have had an opportunity to serve on at least three mediation committees. Therefore, I know the intrigues that go on. Gladly, we have this version, so that we can have our counties in full operation. I do not want to dwell much on the issue of figures. Shareable revenue is one of the Senate’s core mandates, but I want to look at other issues. Once money is sent to the counties, what do they do with it? When I was looking at some of the observations and recommendations in this Report, there is a recommendation that counties need to have a bigger look at their own sources of revenue. Currently, their own sources of revenue is way lower than what is expected. To give you an example, if you go to a place like Kajiado County, a case in point Ongata Rongai, if you meet county officials, they will charge you for a service, but put that money in their pockets. You do not see any kind of accountability. In that case, that is money lost. The 47 county governments need to prioritise, especially giving training to their officers in charge of revenue collection. The Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) has given guidelines on how they need to go about that. This is a progressive way of curbing losses, especially in revenue collection. Training also needs to happen for the management and policymakers in that sector. We need to generally engage all sectors, so that we do not face hostility when we encourage collection of more revenue in form of taxes. When you encourage all stakeholders in a particular county, you are less likely to face resistance. My colleague, Sen. Cherarkey, was very angry because of the kind of corruption at the chiefs’ offices. I need him to be angrier and call out corruption in all quarters and not just in the county governments. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, when you look at the way spending is done at the county governments, you conclude that the spending is not meant to help normal citizens, but the political class. You will find a budget done for a leadership training that was undertaken in Dubai for people going to study about poverty alleviation in another country. Do you need to go to another country to study how they are alleviating poverty? We have our own case in Kenya. Those are situations that surround us on a daily basis. When you look at most of the indexes we are looking at in subdividing this money, the health index is the most critical. However, most county governments are less prioritising this sector. As a Parliament, we have passed so many laws that need to support the health sector to work very well. The other time we passed a Facility Improvement Fund (FIF) legislation. There was legislation enabling the surrounding persons to have a committee in their local dispensary that provides oversight. Citizens need to know that they are equal partakers of what is currently happening. In as much as we are calling out the political class, the citizens also need to know that the political class we have is a representation of who they are. If citizens want change, they need to start looking carefully at the kind of leaders they elect. That is why I 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."
}