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{
    "id": 263132,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/263132/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 110,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Munya",
    "speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for East African Community",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 279,
        "legal_name": "Joseph Konzolo Munyao",
        "slug": "joseph-munyao"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am just giving my opinion and I have not even made reference to any particular person. I am just saying that anybody who feels that these are not important fora---- I am trying to explain how important they are. I am just debating and I am not saying that the House should not make a decision either way. I am only giving an opinion that should guide this House in making a decision. I am saying that these are critically important fora and they are different. So, we cannot collapse them because the Summit, which is chaired by the President brings all the counties together under the President to look at national issues that may affect the counties. However, you may also have counties having problems with themselves that have nothing to do with the national Government. That is why you also have the Council of County Governments to cooperate at that level. So, they are different and important. We need to let them be there. When we are implementing them, we need a lean secretariat so that we do not spend a lot of money there. They are important because they have important functions that they must play. Otherwise, things would come to a halt if the governments are not coordinated. This is if the counties do not have fora that can coordinate work and make things easier. The other issue is about the Chair of the Council of County Governments. The Chair is also a facilitator. County Governors are equal because they all head counties, whether a county is small or big. They are all equal in terms of what they do. So, this is just a person who will facilitate their meetings when they are meeting. The County Government will be existing only for five years. So, we do not want to have one person sitting there for five years. We also do not want to politicize the fora by thinking that the Chairman, assuming there are other duties that he has beyond chairing those meetings. That is why we need to have rotation; one person being elected chairman this year and the council meets next year to have another person elected as the Chairman so that we do not focus on the politics that the council will be generating but on the facilitative role of delivering services to the people of Kenya. But, if you say that one person sits there for three, four or five years, what will you be creating? You will be creating another centre of power that may not be useful in terms of making county governments function. For me, I think the drafters did the right thing to say that the Chairs of the Council should be a chairman for one year. We have a permanent secretariat which does the main work. Chairing is just chairing and it is done when the council is meeting and then one goes back to do his or her work where he or she is elected. You are elected a Governor of a County. When someone is the chairman, when is he or she going to work for the people who elected him or her? So, someone will start engaging in national politics when you were elected to do county politics. So, let us not politicize that forum by making a chairman permanent or giving him more time than one year. It should be a period of one year and another person takes over. After all, they are equal; they are brothers and they want to facilitate the work so that the county can do well."
}