Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1523282,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1523282/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 228,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "South Mugirango, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Silvanus Osoro",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Departmental Committee on Energy will respond comprehensively after the Cabinet Secretary appears before it to state the progress the Ministry has made as far as energy is concerned. On the second concern on water, it is unfortunate that we are still talking about water challenges ten years, post-devolution. It might interest Members to know that water is largely devolved. Most of the processes concerned with water management are actually devolved. As we speak, there is a strange disease that has befallen my people in the village as a result of water contamination. The Ministry gave a report today that people in the area drunk contaminated water. However, who should answer that question? That question should be answered by the county governments. Ten years, post-devolution, we still have challenges of water in our counties despite counties being given huge amounts of money to manage water challenges. Sometimes, we need to ask ourselves this question: What exactly are county governments doing as far as the water challenge is concerned? Water resource is becoming very scarce by the day. We have climate change issues like what you have said that there are parts of this country that are experiencing temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius as we speak. Nairobi is currently at 35 degrees Celsius. For the very first time, my region is at 37 degrees Celsius. It is a region where it rains every day. The other day, Hon. Kibagendi said that it is like persons walking around the Gusii streets are walking with a bag of dust on them. They normally reach their homes when they are in such a dusty state. It is very hot all over the country. So, even as we talk about these challenges, we need to pose this question to county governments as the national Government works on the energy sector. I have committed that the Departmental Committee on Energy will handle the energy issue, and I said that there is an ongoing process of procuring energy suppliers. We saw the President sign some agreements with energy suppliers. There are a lot of efforts to mitigate the challenges on energy. On the water challenge, we need to pose that question to the right people. There is a challenge of water in Nairobi, North Eastern and Gusii. In fact, there is a challenge of water in all the counties. So, we really do not know whether the water issue should revert to the national Government for easier management or it should remain in the county governments. It may not require the hardship money per se to solve it. Actually, it is the prerogative of county governments to handle water. However, counties have chosen to spend that money in other forms like putting the money in unnecessary projects, including moving around with 50 vehicles carrying goons and hiring cheering squads in functions. Nowadays, governors hire squads to attend their functions. Every Governor has got a group of about 300 to 400 people on payroll that they move around with. They stand or sit in strategic positions to clap whenever the Governor speaks, be it in burials or churches. That is what they do instead of allocating the money to the right places. That is very unfortunate. Sometimes, they even direct the people in the county inspectorate to remove their uniforms…"
}