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{
    "id": 263073,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/263073/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 51,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. James Maina Kamau",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 34,
        "legal_name": "James Maina Kamau",
        "slug": "maina-kamau"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this chance to contribute to this important Bill, Bill No.1 of 2012. I will start by thanking the Tenth Parliament for taking a bold step to change the Constitution. This has been a pipedream for many years since we attained our Independence. At the same time, I would also like to thank the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government for coming up with such a beautiful Bill which only needs a bit of ironing, so that it can become a good law for our country. I know County Governments will be very important to this country. As such I think they need to have enough funds so that they can run on their own. We know, for instance, that what is allowed is only three per cent of the national budget. My recommendation is that we give them at least 20 per cent of the national budget. In my opinion 15 per cent is not enough. The job of accounting is actually enormous. If these counties are not properly funded, I do not think they will be able to run on their own. So, I think 20 per cent will not be asking too much because it will be sufficient to run a county. As I said, for counties to have meaningful development, they must be properly funded. There are so many things to be done. There are hospitals and schools to be taken care of. The development of infrastructure will require a lot of money to be undertaken. Currently, the amount we are giving them in this Bill is not enough. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would also like to encourage the Government to consider giving the Governor and the employees of the county good salary. This is the only way we can eliminate corruption in the counties. So, whatever the Commission will decide, it is important that the Governor and staff get good remuneration. This is the only way we will fight corruption in counties. There is also the issue of the CDF. It is not clear exactly who will be in charge of the CDF. I do not know whether it will be managed by the County Governments. As Members of Parliament, our only touch with the people of the county is the CDF. So, I would recommend that the CDF funds are left to be run by the Members of Parliament, so that, at least, we have something to do in the county. If things are left the way they are, we will have nothing to do with the counties rather than passing laws in this House. So, it will be a good idea if the CDF funds are left to be handled by Members of Parliament, so that they can be in touch with the people at all times. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would also recommend that every county has a university. The long term economic growth of these counties will depend highly on education. We need to educate people in all our counties. So, it is important that we have good universities. We also need to have technical colleges. These are the backbone of any development of the country. So, we should consider having universities in all the counties in the Republic of Kenya. At the same time, it is important that we have an energetic Governor. The age of a Governor has not been clearly spelled out in this Bill. However, we will need somebody who is energetic enough to run affairs of the county. We all know what can happen if we have somebody who is over 55 years. We do not want to give a governorship to anybody who is tired. The job of a Governor unlike that of a Senator or county representative or Member of Parliament, he should be a person who is able to run around. The ideal age for a Governor should be below 55 years. Otherwise, anybody over 55 years, I do not think he will be able to do the job of a county governor. We all know that the success or failure of a county will depend on the Governor. So, getting a person who is just too tired or too old, I do not think that county will get anywhere. So, I would recommend that the Governor’s age be below 55 years. Of course, he must have good education. He may not necessarily have a degree, but with good management skills. I think anybody with an A level certificate plus good management skills, that will be an ideal person to run affairs of a county. With those few remarks, I beg to support this Bill."
}