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"id": 491210,
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Murkomen",
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"speaker": {
"id": 440,
"legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
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"content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I will summarize all the answers without really focusing on this or on that. First, with devolution, we should end this debate about drought because, really, there will be more in a county, for example, like Turkana, Marsabit, Mandera or Wajir, which was considered ASAL completely. We will now have a local government which understands the needs of that area with the desire to address the problems of the people of that area. The reason we went for devolution was particularly for that reason. I suspect the reason the budget was reduced is basically because that problem needs to be dealt with at that local level. Resources in that county are focused on programmes and projects that are meant for ensuring that, first of all, the people of that area are food secure. We all know that there is a combination of factors that makes it food insecure, but it is the consolidated efforts of both county and national Governments. For example, the national Government is planning on massive irrigation projects. Once these projects take off, automatically it will be the county government to continue with it because it will now become an agricultural function. Maybe like the people are saying, the national Government should inject all this money at once from the first instance, but it should be done successfully by the county government, whether in the Tana River project which they are planning or along the Kerio Valley up to Turkana, where also major irrigations are planned. This should actually be the direction. I read the statement which was very clear, that there is a plan that was put in place in 2012 to end this issue of drought by 2022. Mr. Speaker, Sir, at that time, it was just being said “2022” because these were plans put in place under Vision 2030 before devolution came into place. However, now with county governments, if the county governments shall be serious and if our governors focus their energy on these issues and forget about sideshows and other debates and focus on development in that area, I am very confident as the Chairperson of the Committee on Devolution that 2022 will be far; we can achieve this goal within the next two, four or five years and our people will be food secure. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the issue of inviting the Cabinet Secretary here, that is a decision of this House, it will go through the issue of procedure. It will not just affect the Ministry, but it will affect all of us. Mr. Speaker, Sir, somebody asked why has the Government not set aside money? As you know, it is not the responsibility of the Government or the Executive to set aside money if I may put it that way. It is the responsibility of Parliament to set aside money. This House ensures that the Kshs226 billion goes to the counties. Some of this money will be used for that purpose. It is no wonder that some counties get huge allocations, especially the marginalized areas, based on the formula of marginalization. As the 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."
}