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{
    "id": 385422,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/385422/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 29,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Abdirahman",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 161,
        "legal_name": "Abdirahman Ali Hassan",
        "slug": "abdirahman-ali-hassan"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I stand to support this Motion by Sen. Orengo. The Motion has come at a most ideal time. This is the time when we are planning to set up the local level governance structures in the most appropriate manner, so that whatever we do at that level can be sustainable. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, as has been said by hon. Senators, any new thing has its teething problems. This Motion has come at a time when county governments, as various hon. Senators before said, are actually struggling to find out what they have to do with the workers who served in local authorities before the establishment of our county governments. From the time of inception of the Local Authorities Transfer Fund (LATF), the Ministry of Local Government, as we have known it before, has actually given a window to chief officers at county councils or municipal councils the ability to constantly loot in collusion with technical officers from the National Government. There was no clear policy framework regarding Local Authorities Transfer Funds (LATF) and they have allowed people to continue paying debts running into billions of shillings using this Fund. Over the last ten years, it has actually created these problems. That is why county governments have to face these problems. This is really a bottomless pit. How do we keep on pumping in money and use it to clear debts? We complained about this matter in the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Parliaments. It is incumbent upon the national Government to pick up this matter and take over all liabilities, so that we start on a clean slate. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, for now, the worst part of it is the fact that the TA is not working with the county governments in a harmonized manner. We require a concerted effort. The challenge in this country is not the lack of knowledge, skills or resources, but it is the lack of coordination. Ministries have been working in a compartmentalized manner. I do not know whether the current Cabinet Secretary nominees will do better. If politicians-cum-technocrats could not achieve much, I do not know what technocrats alone will be able to achieve. Let us hope they will bring in some input that is better than what we think. 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."
}