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{
    "id": 1550666,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1550666/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 597,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Embakasi West, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Mark Mwenje",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1429,
        "legal_name": "George Theuri",
        "slug": "george-theuri"
    },
    "content": "expect that the Senators will give us a figure of about Ksh420 billion or Ksh425 billion. They will target an increase of about Ksh15 billion to Ksh20 billion. We have seen that trend in the last two years. Ksh405 billion has been shared each year with our counties from the onset of devolution. If you were to share this money equally amongst our constituencies, each would receive about Ksh1.3 billion. Nairobi County receives the largest share, which is over Ksh20 billion. We need to show Kenyans what this money is doing. We can show Kenyans what the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) has done. We can also show them the roads constructed by the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA). Pending bills are killing the economy of Nairobi. With regard to roads in Nairobi, if you compare what was done by the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) a couple of years back to what we have today, you can see the problem. It is not because we are not allocating funds to the counties. Disbursements to county governments are usually delayed by a month or two. With regard to the NG-CDF, we sometimes experience delays of up to seven or eight months. The county governments are usually up to date with their disbursements. Our governors need to utilise the funds that we send to the counties. They should utilise their share of funds from the national revenue and do projects in the counties. They should clear the pending bills, so that contractors can go back to work and do what is required by Kenyans. We need to talk about this issue more frequently. The national Government and the county governments each receive their share of revenue. We must ensure that they do their jobs. Senators have a responsibility to oversee the funds allocated to the counties instead of fighting the National Assembly. They should ensure that this money is working for the people. There is also the issue of the Equalisation Fund when it comes to marginalisation. The Member for Mandera raised this issue. Marginalisation is everywhere. A slum dweller in Nairobi can go to bed hungry. However, you cannot sleep hungry in Murang'a, where my forefathers came from. You can walk into a farm, get some maise and roast it. However, you can go to bed hungry in Nairobi. You can live in a slum where raw sewage just flows outside your House. I have a problem with the definition of the term \"marginalisation\" and how the Equalisation Fund is utilised. I understand that there were some counties that were quite far behind. However, we are at an age where we must consider every person, regardless of which county they come from. It is true that there are people who live well in Nairobi City County. There are good roads, but they are in certain areas. If I take you to Mukuru kwa Njenga or some of the slums in Eastlands, you will see how people live in abject poverty. Hon. Temporary Speaker, as Members of Parliament from Nairobi City County, we sat down and asked the President to take him around. We took him to Mathare and other areas he had never been to. We took him to Ruaraka, Embakasi and Kibra. He walked and saw people living in deplorable conditions. It is the reason - and I must commend the Government for doing it - they allowed us to build more classrooms in Nairobi City County than other areas because they can only go vertical; they must go up. I have a school called Super Loaf whose Grade One classroom has 207 students. They are in one classroom. When we took the President to some of these schools, he only stood at the front. He could not move to greet the students because our classrooms are congested. Rural-urban migration is real. You must realise that we live in a county where our population is ever- increasing. Our fathers went to schools in rural areas. However, we are here, and our children are being educated here. Most Members here have now brought their children to Nairobi. With those few remarks, I support the Bill. We have a lot of work. I believe the Chairman, Hon. Atandi, is up to the task. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker."
}