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{
    "id": 492030,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/492030/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 318,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Abdirahman",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 161,
        "legal_name": "Abdirahman Ali Hassan",
        "slug": "abdirahman-ali-hassan"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for allowing me to contribute to this very important Motion. While listening to the adjournment Motion, a number of our colleagues were getting concerned that besides the Committee on Devolved Government, they were wondering why we should adjourn. I think, looking at the standard practice in this House, Members can always join a Committee even when they are not its Members. As long as they have some interest, they can always join the committee as friends of the Committee. But besides that, I think it is important to use that opportunity to visit our counties and get to help where there are issues. Close to 60 or 70 per cent of our counties have issues, whether it is between the county executive and county assemblies, within county assemblies or even within the county executive. It is important for Senators, including myself, to get down to understand what the real issues are. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I think that this particular Committee on Devolved Government that is going down to Makueni and Isiolo counties will actually, unlike what happens in the impeachment process, this time round more or less be doing a conflict resolution process much more than the impeachment process. That process definitely calls for more time to actually do mediation, negotiation, moving up of frameworks that are going to help establish how people can interact between the county assembly and the county executive. I think, as Sen. Wamatangi said, devolution will go to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) or is about to be taken to the ICU if we do not put our act together as the Senate. Forget about any other group; it is the Senate that is charged with the sole responsibility of ensuring that devolution works. Let us forget about these other people. Listening to the first reaction of the CoGs when the Makueni issue came up, a number of them were supporting Governor Kibwana to say that the county government must be dissolved. That was a very quick or hasty decision which did not take care of the interests of the people of Makueni. You cannot suddenly come up and say “we must send everybody home.” It is a very unpopular decision; it is not in the interest of the ordinary citizen in Makueni or any other Kenyan. It is important for us to get to understand what the real issues are. I want to call upon the Committee on Devolved Government to actually look at the underlying causes of the problems in Makueni and Isiolo counties. There could be much more than leadership wrangles. So, it is important to look at what the real issues are in those county governments so that whatever is developed for those two can be used as a blueprint to help solve problems in the other counties which have similar problems."
}