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{
    "id": 446869,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/446869/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 230,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Gichigi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1909,
        "legal_name": "Samuel Kamunye Gichigi",
        "slug": "samuel-kamunye-gichigi"
    },
    "content": "I am also happy that this Bill is going to create cohesion of the leadership in the counties. We will also be given a chance to execute our oversight role as Members of the National Assembly and Senators over usage of funds that are given to the counties. The Constitution is very clear. One of the roles that Members of Parliament, including Members of the National Assembly, are expected to play is oversight over national revenue and its expenditure. Literally, all the money that the counties are currently using is their share of the national revenue which this House has decided on. It is our work also to go and see that, that money is being properly utilized. I am hoping that the governors do not feel undermined by the creation of these boards. The truth of the matter is that they are the ones, under the proposed amendments, who are going to come up with budgetary proposals. They will also come up with work plans for the counties; that is not the work of this board. Ours is to ensure that the proper thing is being done. I am also happy that what the national Government is doing in the counties and what the counties are doing in terms of development projects is now going to be harmonized so that we do not have duplication or omissions in certain areas. Hon Temporary Deputy Speaker, one of the main reasons why I was opposing the original Bill was because of the creation of unnecessary entities, especially the sub- county boards and the ward development boards. Even as Parliament, we have been lamenting about the escalation of recurrent expenditure in many institutions that are being created in this country. I was looking at the Bills tracker and the Bills that are pending before this House; I noted that 12 of them are attempting to create new State agencies, each one of them with a board, a CEO, members and some civil servants. My concern is that we need to be very careful. I am, therefore, happy that this particular agreed version is removing those unnecessary bodies and leaving one board that is supposed to oversee and harmonize development projects in the county. The other question that I will be asking once this board is constituted is: What is happening with the intended revenue that is supposed to be raised by the counties? Where I come from, Nyandarua, the story is that they are not even raising half of the revenue that our very inefficient local authority was raising. Their focus is so much on the national revenue that they have forgotten that there is money to be collected in the counties. I am aware that this is happening in all the counties. So, it is important that those issues be raised. As I wind up, I am going to say that this is a law that is going to help the implementation of devolution and I am hoping that we will not get problems implementing the new Constitution. We have been creating institutions that permit resolution of our disputes. This is one of them. We have had problems because Members The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}