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{
    "id": 390153,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/390153/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 80,
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    "content": "We need civil servants in county governments who have a democratic approach to the issues and who know that the purpose of devolution is to encourage the people on the ground to have a say in all the issues that affect them; be they economic, social or cultural. We do not want leaders who will come and say, this is what is good for you, hence the need for this. I know the Ministry of Devolution and Planning is tying its best to train essential cadres who will work in the county governments. However, I would like a more focused approach to the training of civil servants who will work with county governments. The law has been very good in saying that it is only after a County Civil Service Board is in place that these people will be absorbed. A number of them will be absorbed. However, we must be very careful. I heard a statement the other day that county governments must take over all the workers of the local authorities. How must they take over all the workers of local authorities and we know what the local authorities have been doing under the previous Constitution? Most of the workers have attained bad habits of working. Most of them are corrupt and are not committed to giving service to the people. Will our county governments inherit workers who have more or less failed in the discharge of their duties at the local government level? If that has to happen, as a Senate, how shall we protect county interests if the counties are infiltrated by workers who cannot perform or who are not committed to the principles of devolved governments? Commitment is very important in this regard. Since we have that loophole, I think it is urgent that we enact this legislation. The national Government should have a training institute. We now have 47 county governments, each employing people. If such an institute is set up, it will have a lot of work in training personnel who will man 47 counties. Before long, I am sure that we will come back to this House and ask for a decentralization of the training college so that each county has its own training college. For instance, western should have its own training college and coast its own. This should happen very soon. However, for now, this Motion is about the Government taking immediate steps to set up a training institute or college to provide appropriate training to personnel of county governments. We are asking the Government to set up this institute; not the county governments; not the Council of Governors; but, the national Government. Why am I saying that the national Government should set up this institution? This is because it is the constitutional duty of the national Government according to do so, according to the Fourth Schedule. Mr. Speaker, Sir, Section 15 of the Fourth Schedule says that it is the duty of the national Government to ensure that the county governments have the capacity, not only in terms of finance but human resources to perform their functions. So, this is the duty of the national Government. I say so because I do not want the amount that will be used to set up this training institute to be part of the revenue that will be allocated to the counties and then we are told that 40 per cent has already been achieved. The money to set up the institute should come from the national Budget. It should not come from the amount that will be allocated to the county governments. That is the national duty of this Government. The other thing I wanted to mention is that when it comes to issues of capacity, apart from the word “commitment”, I believe that the county governments will need personnel who are prepared to work at the grassroots level but not people who sit in the offices and work out policies and give them to people to implement. These should be"
}