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{
    "id": 1527174,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1527174/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 324,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kitui Central, WDM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "additional resources from our development partners should complement our resources, so that we experience development in the rural areas. The issue of timing is critical. The other critical issue is accountability, which I agree with my colleagues about. When these conditional grants are allocated to the counties, there is a huge gap in terms of accountability framework. The resources are implemented at the counties, but budgeting and appropriation are done at the headquarters. How do you account for them? The county assemblies cannot oversee them at that time. Because the national Government has released the resources, it does not oversee them. So, there is a gap. Monitoring and evaluation of these resources need to be discussed thoroughly, and we agree on the way forward. Otherwise, you will still leave room where the resources might be misdirected, misapplied, or lost through corruption. The money may not get to where it is expected. On this basis, as we think about the additional resources to the counties, it is important to put in place a clear monitoring, evaluation and accountability framework. The Bill talks about CHPs. The county governments and the national Government are supposed to pay some money. Imagine a situation where the national Government releases money for the CHPs, but the counties do not have it. It means instead of getting Ksh5,000, they will get Ksh2,500 from the national Government and then the component of the county government might have to wait for one, two or three months. We live in these counties. They are in arrears, in terms of payment of salaries. This is a critical matter. The Government needs to think about this problem. If we are giving 50 per cent of the money, can we have a mechanism—at the beginning of the year— where 100 per cent of those resources are transferred to the counties so that they pay their salaries without any delay? Salaries are a sensitive matter. The other matter, which is critical, is supporting the construction of the county headquarters. I have been a Member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee ever since I joined this Parliament. We allocate money to five counties every year for construction of headquarters. They did not have them when we started. Despite the money being in the Budget every year, there has been minimal implementation. We are now in the 10th year budgeting for these resources, but these five counties have never completed their headquarters. What challenges do we face? Resources are there. Can we come up with a way and get this matter behind us, so that resources are released and the counties are able to construct their headquarters? In that case, then we will help them. Otherwise, in a situation where we budget for money, but it is not given to the counties…"
}