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{
"id": 1565558,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565558/?format=api",
"text_counter": 243,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Omogeni",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 13219,
"legal_name": "Erick Okong'o Mogeni",
"slug": "erick-okongo-mogeni"
},
"content": "counties, it translates to approximately 21 per cent, although we are being told that it is 25.5 per cent. When I did my calculation, it looks like 21 per cent. We will never see the fruits of devolution if we do not give adequate resources to our counties. Instead, we will be making our counties employment bureaus, where the resources that we send to our counties will be used purely for payment of salaries and overhead expenses. The little balance that remains is used to put murram on our roads. In my opinion, true devolution should mean that the people of Nyamira County should not think of coming to Nairobi City County to seek treatment. They should have hospitals all the way from Level 2 to a Level 5 hospital, where they can be attended to and get the best medical care possible. I heard a Senator here saying that Social Health Authority (SHA) is working. However, I would like to tell you, as somebody who spends time with my people on the ground, SHA is very problematic. In fact, many Kenyans are crying and asking questions why we shifted them from National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to SHA that is not being accepted in many hospitals and has issues of technology. Those who want to benefit from SHA, log in and wait, even a whole day. Some go back to their homes while others try to go to private hospitals where they are told that SHA only works in public hospitals. They go to public hospitals only to find that there are no drugs. We are being unsympathetic to our people, especially those who are down at our villages. We are lucky. We have our medical insurance. Our staff have medical insurance and they can get treatment in all our private hospitals. What about the person in the village? My aunt or cousin, and the person who voted for me in Nyamira County? SHA is not working. So, I plead with our governors to make our hospitals functional so that anybody seeking medical help from a public hospital can go to a public hospital, be attended to as a one stopover so that you get consultation, prescription for your drugs. If there is an X- ray, you do it and go home with medicine. However, this idea of you going to Keroka Health Centre or Nyamira Referral Hospital, you are attended and, finally, told to go and buy your medicine from a private chemist is not fair at all. Madam Temporary Speaker, I hope as we, year in, year out, pass the Division of Revenue Bill and send money to our counties, it can transform the lives of our people down at the county level. We want to see our counties becoming attractive so that investors can pitch camp in Nyamira County and do business there. I want to see value addition. When I was growing up, my grandmother was selling bananas. Twelve years into devolution, I have not seen value addition. Madam Temporary Speaker, there was a time I was being told Nyamira will produce some wine made from bananas. I have not seen it in any supermarket as we speak today. I was told Nyamira will produce banana crisps. I have not seen them in any of our supermarkets. That was the dream of devolution that we can make our counties to become economic giants so that those who want to do farming or trade can do so in their counties and then we stop this issue of rural-urban migration. Also, we need fairness. I am being taxed for affordable housing. I pay tax. The people of Nyamira County are paying tax. Today, they watched a project being launched 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."
}