Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 424595,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/424595/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 442,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "controlling money or having the say in how the money is managed at the county level in terms of nitty-gritty of budgeting. Our interest in matters related to management of finances in the county is basically because we want that money to work. If that money does not make a difference in Elgeyo-Marakwet, it does not matter how many times I tell the people that we have allocated Kshs3 billion to the county. If that money is not going to assist in taking water closer to the people, if it is not going to solve the problem of the roads, if it is not going to solve the problems of illiteracy, if it is not going to build the new pre-primary classes, our work here of allocation of resources to various counties or division of revenue would be in vain. Our interest is just limited to ensuring that whoever is given that responsibility to be the chief accounting officer, who is the governor, and the county leadership is going to ensure that the money makes sense at the local level. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it was laughable today when I read in one of the media, in the newspapers, an editorial saying that our interest is basically the money. Before I came here, Sen. Orengo played a role together with the former Prime Minister and the former Deputy Prime Minister in putting me in the task force for devolved government. I was involved in drafting all the six Bills for devolution. Nothing would have been easier for me to go and run for governor. I knew very well the role of governor but I went for senator. All these former Members of Parliament like Sen. Murungi, Sen. Keter, Sen. Wetangula and Sen. Orengo are the men and women who passed the Constitution itself. Nothing would have been so easier for them to go and run for governor than to just wait to become Senator to control money. In fact, we had decided in this House that we do not care about issues of handling money equivalent to the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF). Our concern about devolved funds has been driven by the desire to ensure that the money makes sense. I was in Elgeyo Marakwet last week and people were asking me that since devolution started, in Kapchorop Division, no single project has been launched in all the three wards. How do I answer them if I do not put pressure on the county government to perform? How will I go for re-election in 2017 if I do not ensure that their money is used for the right purpose? In fact, that is the only interest for this House and the world needs to appreciate that fact. Sen. Wetangula, we need your Committee and other Committees to pass this message as clear as possible and we are not going to relent. I have made it very clear that we are not going to stop or relent in ensuring that we ensure that accountability is seen all over the country. Sen. Mong’are is one bull-fighter in his own right and I am sure that when he goes back to his Committee, he will continue with his work. He has been exercising direct and collective oversight in his county. We have read in the newspapers. We have seen situations where people are begging him to relent in terms of accountability in Nyamira County and he has been very clear to the public and to his House that he will not relent and that is the spirit. Yesterday, an incident stirred me to think that some people think that when we say we want to hold governors to account that all of them are bad. They are not bad. We are just saying that every human being is prone to dipping his hand in the jar. That is why the Bible says “Lead us not into temptation”. We are assisting our governors not to be led into temptation so that they can be delivered from any evil. So, we want to protect those counties so that they can work and make a difference. 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."
}