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{
    "id": 380903,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/380903/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 219,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof.) Anyang’-Nyong’o",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 193,
        "legal_name": "Peter Anyang' Nyong'o",
        "slug": "peter-nyongo"
    },
    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, I equally stand to support this Motion and congratulate the Mover and the Seconder, my colleague Sen. Musila, who has contributed to the Motion. Madam Temporary Speaker, I want to begin by cautioning ourselves and the national Government regarding the budget that we are talking about currently. You will notice that the manner in which county governments developed their budgets and, finally, presented them to the Treasury; and the manner in which they are finally reaching the Senate, is actually something which is not quite procedural. But we can excuse it, because this was the first time it was being done. However, I think it is full of uncertainties and things that we may have to deal with as a Senate to rescue the operation. Madam Temporary Speaker, the counties developed their budgets without any kind of policy passed by the county assemblies. There is no policy on the basis of which these budgets were developed. Secondly, county assemblies were more or less ambushed by their executives to pass these budgets in double quick time to meet certain deadlines set by law. These deadlines were beyond their control. You will find that these county budgets reached their so-called final destination without the knowledge of this Senate. The Senate discussed the County Allocation of Revenue Bill without any knowledge whatsoever on the basis on which this Bill was being developed as far as county budgets were concerned. Madam Temporary Speaker, you realize that we are in a situation I call a “false start.” In the meantime, certain other good things have happened in county governments. For example, the executive and the legislatures of the county governments have been established. We can, at least, say that the process of devolution has started, but with a very shaky financial basis. The previous speakers have already said that the monies going to the county governments will be mainly spend on recurrent and not development expenditure. This is itself a problem because it means that county governments may turn themselves into more of pay offices for civil servants. Now, the very nature in which the county governments have been formed is that they have inherited civil servants of previous local authorities. This matter should not be underplayed. Sen. Musila was trying to make it, but I think that the discussion was kind-of overtaken by the statement he made; that, non-performing or civil servants’ disciplinary cases have been transferred to hardship areas - read marginalized counties - for punishment. Therefore, they have reduced the performance therein. But I will to go further and say that it is not just the marginalized counties. Having been the Chairman of the Public Investments Committee (PIC) in the mid 1990s, I know for certain that local governments had a lot of problems auditing their accounts. I know that this situation did not improve even after the time that the county governments were inheriting these local authorities. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}