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{
    "id": 542436,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/542436/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 167,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Kipyegon",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1453,
        "legal_name": "Johana Ngeno Kipyegon",
        "slug": "johana-ngeno-kipyegon"
    },
    "content": "Only 10 per cent goes to development. In my county, for example, which is usually given not less than Kshs4.8 billion, if you were to make a simple calculation of 10 per cent of that money times the four years that we are going to have these counties, you will realise that it will spend over Kshs20 billion on recurrent expenditure and only Kshs2 billion on development. If you calculate the Kshs20 billion times 47 counties, that is the biggest scandal that will have ever happened in this country. Even the Goldenberg scandal was only Kshs23 billion. That would only be for one county in the next ten years. Look at Triton and all these other scandals--- The money being spent recklessly by the counties would add up to not less than Kshs400 billion in five years. Where is this country heading? The Senate must come up with a very serious amendment to ensure that every county spends not less than 80 per cent of the money sent there on development. If the counties think they can collapse because they do not have money for recurrent expenditure, let them cut down the number of employees. If the counties think that they cannot run because they may be having these other people who are just running up and down with their vehicles, let them use motorbikes. We have teachers in this country, including head teachers and principals, who move from one county to another and from one village to the school using motorbikes or bicycles. Nobody is looking at their welfare. However, in the counties governors are buying several vehicles even for people working at the ward level, including ward administrators who have nothing to do. They are given vehicles and a lot of money is spent on them and yet the people serving this nation diligently do not have anything to use. The Senate must go back and relook at the formation of county governments. If every county government was to have not more than 20 employees like we do in the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF), we would save a lot of money for development. The problem with our governors is that they think devolution meant devolving power and corruption. I hope, as they are having their conference in Kisumu today, they will not be looking at the National Assembly as hampering devolution. I hope they will not be looking at us as trying to scuttle the prospects of devolution. I hope they will be discussing how they can turn around the reckless expenditures in the counties so that our people can benefit. There are so many issues that we can deal with as the national Government. Some people are fighting the CDF knowing very well it is the only fund which has affected the local mwananchi in a positive way. The reason why they are fighting it is because projects that can be seen in the constituencies are only those done by the CDF. They are fighting it because they know if CDF is removed, they will be the only people having a say, holding brief, holding power and driving everybody in the villages mad. I wish to tell the county governments that we are not sleeping. We will ensure that the functions of the county governments are done. We will ensure the money taken to the counties is spent properly. We also wish to tell the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to deal with the governors who have been mentioned in corruption scandals and take them to court. We want to see them put behind bars, especially my governor. I feel a lot of pain when I see my governor---"
}