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{
    "id": 1565869,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1565869/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 284,
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    "content": "village mates consoled me, assuring me that due to the heavy rains, the armyworms would not survive. Fortunately, just as I was advised, the rains washed the armyworms away from my farm. Were it not for the rains, my farm and all other farms in my area would have been completely destroyed. There is need for county governments to employ extension officers. They should be adequate in number and quality to effectively serve our farmers. Mr. Temporary Speaker, health is also a devolved function. This morning I attended a training session where we were taken through the allocations of this year’s budget per sector. While reviewing the proposed budget, I noted that the allocation for health remains at Kshs136 billion, unchanged from last year. The explanation given is that donor funds are expected. However, you are aware of the challenges surrounding donor funding. With the Trump administration’s cuts, there has been a proposed reduction in donor funds. Recently, we were taken through immunisation financing and realised that, in a few years, we will have to sustain these programmes on our own as a country. These critical services are offered at the county level, and all of this comes down to the availability of resources. Other services that are also critical are urban services, such as storm water drainage. All these require funding. In my own village, Ndhiwa Town, it rained heavily yesterday. Half of the town was filled with water due to storm water drainage challenges. I am highlighting this issue because these are services that must be provided by county governments. Additionally, under urban services, we have street lighting and solid waste management. All these services require money. County governments do not exist at the mercy of anybody. These are governments explicitly outlined in the Constitution. I support this report as presented. The county government’s allocation must increase as years go by. We cannot continue with the same figures because county governments must function and fulfil their responsibilities as provided in the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution. Even as we request this amount as presented in this report, it is also important to note that most of the functions we are discussing were never properly costed. If we conducted a costing of the functions assigned to the county governments, we might even find that we are short by over Kshs100 billion. Therefore, I support this report. As I conclude my presentation, I want to emphasize that the spirit of devolution requires that county governments to attract the best skills available in the country. It is not necessarily true that people with more skills should only offer services at a higher level. If counties are to attract the high-level skills we require, they must have funds commensurate with the remuneration these skilled labourers need. I pray for a day when the best doctors will be employed at health centres, dispensaries and Level 4 hospitals, where most of our people seek medical care. As they are employed there, they would still receive the higher wages necessary to ensure they can offer services at the lower levels. This is contrary to the tradition where the highest-skilled professionals are placed in high-level hospitals and private hospitals because that is where they receive proper remuneration."
}