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{
    "id": 469456,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/469456/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 67,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "on a superhighway. Some of the county governments have debts that will make it impossible for them to take off in any way; debts that range from unpaid National Social Security Fund (NSSF) dues, unpaid construction obligations, unpaid water bills and electricity bills not to mention the enormous responsibility bestowed upon them. What difference would it make if the County Council of Kakamega employed small boys with strings to drop boda boda riders so as to collect Kshs50? What is the difference between a county council and a county government? That is what is going on. They are unable to institutionalize their services and activities because they cannot move. I was impressed to see Governor Isaac Ruto, one of the great Members of Parliament that we had in the Tenth Parliament in terms of relevance to debate saying, very clearly, that if the intention of the National Government was to turn them into a bureau for human resource management, then they had succeeded. They told us to go and employ an executive council, secretaries and staff and then they would send money to pay salaries and that would be all. What is the value of this? This Senate, as the custodian of the interests, foundation and the future of devolution, must not only pass this Motion but also have the implementation mechanism to make sure that that the National Government abides by what we say, do and what we pass in this Senate. If we do not do that, five years down the line, Kenyans will start regretting passing a wonderful idea. Senator Murungi put it the best way someone would put it. We have new music but with old dancers doing the same old jig; centrists who do not believe that anything should leave Nairobi, who believe that anything good can only come from Nairobi, and centrists who see that any outsiders in the county demanding for issues are a nuisance. That is why we are having this ping pong. The Constitution and the laws are very clear that revenues are to be shared on percentage basis. However, we are abandoning percentages and talking about figures the same way that hon. Kimunya used to do with the CDF. The economy is growing and we have set percentages but someone is thinking that Kshs250 billion is too much and that they should be given Kshs180 billion as if we are buying a shirt from the market. Should I give, should I not give? Pata potea . We cannot start devolution like that. For these units to take off, including your own, Turkana, we must give them a clean start to start off because some of them are in such dire financial constraints. You will find big ones like Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kiambu and Machakos can raise sufficient revenue from land rates, land rents but what about those ones like Marsabit, Kwale, Bungoma and Busia? They will sit there and eventually, you will see them looking like the famous cartoon you see from traders; one boisterous fat man laughing that he sold on cash and a poor fellow impoverished and looking sick saying he sold on credit. We are throwing these counties into that situation where they are either running on cash or credit basis. At the end of the day, the Governors will come to Nairobi to meet the President or the Senators and when asked what he or she has done for the last three years for the people, they will say that they are paying salaries. Is that what counties have been set up to do? I say no! The volume of responsibility that the national government has transferred to the county governments is mind-boggling. Sooner than later, you will find the national 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."
}