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{
    "id": 357527,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/357527/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 140,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Katoo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 199,
        "legal_name": "Judah Katoo Ole-Metito",
        "slug": "judah-ole-metito"
    },
    "content": "Hon. Deputy Speaker, I rise to support this Bill, which is very simple since it only explains what goes to the National Government and to the county governments. The details that my colleagues have been talking about are in the Revenue Allocation Bill, which is yet to come to this House. Just to emphasise what my colleagues have said before, it is important to note the importance of counties in the new constitutional dispensation. It is true that the Constitution created 47 counties with specific mandates and responsibilities. I believe that counties were created because of three main issues:- First, the Central Government, in previous regimes, had perfected the art of being out of touch with the needs of the citizens in the country. The national policies then failed to tackle problems affecting the local people. Therefore, counties are supposed to facilitate decentralisation of certain functions and operations of the Central Government and empowering of Kenyans at the grassroots level to determine their development priorities. That is what my colleague, hon. Benjamin Lang’at, was talking about – that we may decentralise from the national- level to the county-level and then have centralisation at the county level, which may lead to marginalisation of some areas within the county. That is why oversight is required even at the county-level. Secondly, counties are supposed to promote social and economic development in all parts of the country by making services easily accessible to wananchi throughout Kenya. Thirdly, the devolved units are supposed to guarantee equity amongst all Kenyans by protecting and promoting the interests of minority and marginalised groups. Those are groups who have historically, by omission or commission, been marginalised since Independence. That is why we must take a keen interest on what amount of revenue goes to the counties, through this Bill, to enable them perform these functions properly. The success or failure of the counties largely depends on the resources that will be availed to them for provision of services to wananchi . Hon. Deputy Speaker, Clause 231(b) requires that in sharing resources, we must ensure that counties are able to perform the functions allocated to them. The counties cannot perform without being given adequate resources. Therefore, through this Bill, resources are being apportioned between the National Government and the county governments. It is, therefore, important that this House facilitates the process of establishing the counties on the right foundation in this year of their inception. I want to"
}