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{
    "id": 421605,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/421605/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 211,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Murkomen",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank the Chair of the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee, Sen. Amos Wako, for such a well thought-out Motion in terms of what we need to do as a nation. The country is suffering from acute malnutrition when it comes to understanding the Constitution and particularly with regard to the devolved system of Government. Very many people understand devolution from the perspective of where they stand. There has been a lot of emphasis depending on which office one holds. Devolution is a very important aspect in terms of taking resources back to the people. If you want to understand what devolution is all about, you have to read Article 174. My emphasis on Article 174 is governance by the people. Article 174 says that people should have their own government and determine how they will carry out development at the local level. In fact, Article 174 talks about self-governance at the local level. Devolution, therefore, unlike what many people think is not about a Senator or the Office of the Governor. Devolution is not the County Assembly but the people of Kenya, at the local level, having an institution that they can call their own. Many people have asked us why we are emphasizing issues related to accountability at the local level and yet we are not asking the same question to the President and the Deputy. Every time I answer this Question, I remember that not very many people have had the benefit to read the Constitution. It is important to emphasise to our people that the reason we want to get accountability at the local level is because the national Government is rotten. They knew corruption is rampant at the centre. They knew that the centre has too much bureaucracy. They knew that the centre has been controlled by cartels; men and women who have done business with the Ministry of Finance since 1963. Some are men and women who have done business with the Ministry of Immigration and Registration of Persons since 1963. There is no Government, since I became aware of politics in 1990s whether it was the fourth movement or the Narc Government that did not have a manifesto about corruption because this has taken root. Kenyans know that we have formed commissions after commissions because of corruption. We want to have our own government at the local level. We need to start on a clean slate and ensure that we have a system that is free of corruption. We want a county government that people can call their own. We want a county government where the Governor is not shielded by mean looking black men who stand around him to protect him from access by mama mboga . We want a Government that is open and accessible to 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."
}