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{
    "id": 1527028,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1527028/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 178,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kikuyu, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kimani Ichung’wah",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I hope I will be speaking to those who are interested in the business of the House. Hon. Speaker, what you have said is true. The business of this House is the business of the people who gave us the greatest honour to represent them in the National Assembly. The issues Hon. Omboko raised are pertinent in line with Article 221 of our Constitution, on the cardinal place public participation should play in all our legislative processes and even decisions in the Executive. I agree with him. It is true that the public participation process in the budget making process has been grossly abused. As he has mentioned, that is why Ksh2 billion was set aside for public participation. Those who sat in the Budget and Appropriations Committee found it prudent or imprudent, whatever the case may be, to put an additional Ksh10 billion. What is more worrying is that if the entire Ksh12 billion went to the counties that were slated for the public participation exercise, then there will be no problem. This problem come about because Members have vested interests. They use this opportunity to put projects in their own constituencies and counties far from what was intended by public participation. I say this with immense respect to those who sit in the Budget and Appropriations Committee. I have chaired this committee in the past. We set a tradition right from the 11th Parliament when the new Constitution came into being. That money would be set aside for public participation and over a period of four years we would cover all counties in the country. It is sad that some counties like Vihiga and 10 others that were slated to benefit from this money lost out. This is because of bad manners by those who sat in the Budget and Appropriations Committee. We have now reconstituted the Budget and Appropriations Committee. Let me be on the record that it will not be business as usual. This House will not sit back and allow members who sit in the Budget and Appropriations Committee to use that position to appropriate money to their constituencies only, at the expense of other Kenyans."
}