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{
"id": 1582614,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1582614/?format=api",
"text_counter": 600,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Marakwet West, Independent",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Timothy Kipchumba",
"speaker": null,
"content": "As a House, we must be very careful. If we lose this Fund for any reason, we will also lose our oversight role as Members of Parliament. The NG-CDF is channelled directly to the constituencies. It gives us power as Members of Parliament to oversee the Fund in our constituencies. If we lose this Fund, it will mean that as Members of Parliament, we have bowed and that we are out to sing the tune of the Executive in order to get development done in our constituencies. That will be unfair. The Members of Parliament will be puppets of the Executive. You would have to approach the President, the Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport, and the Cabinet Secretary for Education, so that you get funds to develop a constituency. Honourable speaker, someone called Bert Lance, who was a close advisor to President Carter, once said that: “If it ain't broken, don't fix it.\" The National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) was not broken. Some people tried to destroy it. Luckily, it was not broken. It is still working. If you compare what is happening in the counties with what is happening in the constituencies, the NG-CDF is impactful. When we went for public participation, members of the public, 100 per cent, told us that we should not come asking them if the Fund should be entrenched in the Constitution but, rather, we should be asking them how we can improve it by increasing it from 2.5 per cent to 5 per cent. This means that Kenyans have embraced this Fund because it is working. Therefore, as a House, we must support it. The other argument that has been postulated by certain people in this country is that we have those funds go to the counties. We have a very progressive Constitution that has outlined clearly, under the Fourth Schedule, the functions assigned to the county governments and those that are assigned to the National Government. Even if those funds were not to go to the constituencies for any other reason, the county governments would not benefit from the Fund since they have certain defined functions under the Fourth Schedule and, therefore, they cannot perform functions that were performed by money allocated to constituencies through the NG- CDF. As a House, we must pass this Bill unanimously on Tuesday so that we have these Funds entrenched in the Constitution. However, I have a reservation. The NG-CDF and NGAAF have proven to work in this country, but including the Senate Oversight Fund... Although I support the Amendment in totality, I would also like to voice my issue on the Senate Oversight Fund. The courts have ruled that the primary oversight role of county governments is with the county assemblies. Therefore, there is no reason why the Senate of the Republic of Kenya should be given the Senate Oversight Fund. It is akin to saying that the National Assembly should also be given the National Assembly Oversight Fund. We have been elected under various articles of the Constitution to perform oversight of the national Government's functions. The Senate of the Republic of Kenya, under Article 96, constitutionally performs oversight of county governments. It has already been catered for under Article 96 of the Constitution and, therefore, there is no need for them to be given those funds. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I wish to rest my case. This evening, the one and only Faith Kipyegon will be running in France. Today at 9.15 p.m., Kenyan time, she will be attempting to rewrite history by being the first woman to run under four minutes. As a person who loves sports and believes that we can do the impossible, I know Faith Kipyegon will make Kenya proud. I wish her the very best. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker."
}