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"content": "You will realize that if it was not even for the Ligale Report, we would have more than 30 counties fighting about whether the headquarters of their county governments should be, because of how the Governors look at it. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I know that we will have different arguments. Some people might ask whether it is a must for the county governments to sit with the county assemblies in one town. But the most important thing is that the citizens of those counties should appreciate that if they want sanity and cohesion, then they should stay and work together. I will give an example of Taita Taveta. At the moment I know that they still have a challenge in terms of agreeing with the Governor. The Governor has decided to have the headquarters of the county government somewhere even more remote than what was decided earlier on. Therefore, they have more conflict than even what was there before. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, by the time the Ligale Commission was agreeing on this, there was wider participation. Indeed, there are people who said that they had never worked with a particular clan and wondered how they could come together. This Bill will bring them a sense of unity. They will know that they can sit together and agree. But we also need to look at counties with no infrastructure, for example, Nyandarua. But the Governors should not take advantage of this and misappropriate money. The Treasury will allow counties that do not have offices or are renting, to budget and start building their own offices. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, as the Mover said, it is important to talk to the county assemblies. I know that they have passed their laws, but it is also important for them to support and agree to this initiative. This will ensure that when we finish, some people will not use the county assemblies to challenge the same. So, it is important to have that agreement as we move on. I know that the Senator for Laikipia is not very happy about this, but it is important that we go back to the county assemblies and say: “This is what we are proposing. What do you feel?” This will ensure that by the time we finalize with the Bill, we will have also done our own wider participation in agreeing on the same. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, some Governors are handling matters in a very casual manner. They forget that we are building a foundation for the future and many years to come. Therefore, when a Governor transfers his government to another town, because they feel that, that is where they are comfortable, they should ask themselves: “What will happen to somebody, for example in Kiambu County, who lives in Ndeiya, which is next to Kajiado or Kijabe?” He or she has to walk all the way to Thika for services. As we look at this, as the Senate, we should consider places where there is infrastructure. Somebody should be able to take a matatu or ride a bicycle to the county headquarters to get services. The headquarters should be in a central place. For example, I should not travel to Malava if I have a petition to present in the county assembly and then go to Kakamega for services. These are some of the things that we are trying to avoid. If I have any problem with my Governor, I should just walk across, meet the Members of the County Assembly and tell them: “Look here. I have this challenge and need you to help me.” Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the laws that we pass will help the people that we serve. 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."
}