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{
    "id": 471602,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/471602/?format=api",
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    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, we also emphasized on Information Communication Technology (ICT). We have moved two Motions in this House which we also wanted to brief the team that we had in the three meetings. One Motion was seeking that the Government ensures that every county is connected via the Fibre Optic Cable (FOC). The other one had to do with the use of technology in the county government, particularly by the MCAs and CECs. If we want to create transparency in our country and if we want resource management to be transparent and effective, we emphasize that it is necessary that the CECs and the MCAs work together to ensure that ICT is a centralized activity within the county administration. The only way it can be done is when the MCAs also appreciate and see the importance of ICT. If the leadership at the county level, that is the MCAs and the members of the executive do not appreciate the importance of ICT, then the whole topic of ICT which is a crucial part of our Vision 2030 will remain just a paper discussion. The MCAs should be engaged the way we believe that they are now, because we are very proud of some of the developments we have seen since then. For example, if you go to the Kisii County Assembly, you will find that the use of ICT. We were very proud of that and we emphasized and told the MCAs that if they can be able to convince their colleagues in the other county assemblies to also embrace ICT, it will even be possible for them to engage in cross conversations via video conferencing. It would even be possible for CECs to engage in conversations and exchange views with CECs from other parts of the country through video conferencing. Therefore, we believe that it was important to do this. Madam Temporary Speaker, one of the recommendations that came up from both the CECs and the MCAs, is the need to meet with the CECs and the chairpersons in the assemblies responsible for finance, not to talk about finance, but to talk about the importance of the polytechnics, ICT and ECD so that when the county assemblies present the budgets for these, there should be concurrence from the finance sector of the county administration. Therefore, we feel that the Committee’s should continue from where we left and engage the CEC in charge of finance in the counties. This also formed part of the thinking that we developed in Mombasa and Naivasha through the teams that we had. In fact, following that meeting, the State University of New York (SUNY) actually committed to support a meeting between the Committee and the CECs responsible for finance when we are ready. We are still discussing with SUNY to see whether that can be done. It is not to say that if we do not get funds from outside, we cannot do it ourselves. In fact, the Senate is quite capable of doing that but we also appreciate and continue to thank those from outside who believe that the work that we are doing here, both the Standing Committees and ad hoc committees is a good job worth supporting by those who are able to do so. I want to thank the Committee on Education very much. 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."
}