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{
    "id": 406412,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/406412/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 316,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "December 4, 2013 SENATE DEBATES 41 Sen. Obure",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. The essence of devolution is to improve service delivery to citizens. In so doing, it is hoped that the citizens will improve the quality of their lives. In the case of Nyandarua, Tharaka Nithi and Tana River counties, the citizens are clearly worse off today than they were at that time before devolution because they cannot access services. In fact, I cannot imagine what is happening in those counties. Where is the Governor working from? As you know, I served as a Minister for Public Works in the previous constitutional dispensation. As the Senate Majority Leader says, I served there with the Senator for West Pokot, Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo, who was then the Permanent Secretary and clearly, we foresaw this situation. In our view at the time, we wanted all the counties to start at the same level. After carrying out an assessment around the country, we found that there are counties which did not have these facilities and, therefore, they would not start at the same level as others and this would be a handicap to them which would take many years to overcome. At that time, we took an initiative in a bid to be proactive. We negotiated with the Treasury and at that time His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta was the Finance Minister and he was very understanding. I recall that he helped us to identify funds particularly for Tharaka Nithi, Nyandarua, Lamu and Turkana which were not very well established. The funds were identified and we took steps to proceed with the construction of those facilities. We intended to construct the county assembly, executive offices for the county government as well as a House for the Governor. All this was agreed on, but unfortunately there was opposition from certain quarters who felt that we at the Ministry were trying to create an avenue to “eat”. That is in the Kenyan language. As a result, the project received a lot of opposition and was abandoned. However, it is regrettable that what we saw and what we are trying to avoid is what the citizens of this county are experiencing. This Motion should have been unnecessary had we done the right thing at the right time. I, therefore, want to say that this is something that deserves to be handled with urgency. Tana River, Tharaka-Nithi and Nyandarua counties have Kenyan citizens who deserve to be assisted so that they are on the same level with other Kenyans. These funds should be identified on an emergency basis, perhaps, in the forthcoming supplementary budget. These facilities should be constructed at appropriate places, centrally, so that people in those counties can access services like other Kenyans. I support this urgent Motion."
}