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{
    "id": 554694,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/554694/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 30,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Chanzu",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 11,
        "legal_name": "Yusuf Kifuma Chanzu",
        "slug": "yusuf-chanzu"
    },
    "content": "devolving money to go and pay a few people’s salaries. As we allow more money to the counties, there must be a way in which we can have checks and balances on how money is being spent. There is an issue that had been raised by the county governments, particularly the governors. Some of them, including the Governor of Vihiga, raised concern that we are interfering with the work of the county governments. If you look at the Constitution, Article 95(4)(c) you will see that it talks about the role of the National Assembly, which is exercising oversight over State organs. That does not exclude the money that we send to the county governments. Our role as the National Assembly must be to oversee the money that is spent by the national Government and the way money is spent when it goes down to the counties. The most important thing as we allow money to go out to the county governments is that we must have measures in place to ensure that money is spent correctly. The institutions that are charged with making sure that this is done should do their work. The Controller’s Office and the Auditor-General’s Office should be prompt in checking what is going on, otherwise money will go to waste. Even if you run after people and get them now, the way I can see some of the Cabinet Secretaries being pursued, and you are not able to recover the money, Kenyans will have lost. The most important thing is for us to have prompt action. There are reports that have been made to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC). We appreciate what they have done so far. They need to do much more. In many counties people are putting up projects all over that they could not undertake in the past. We were not devolving funds so that money can go to individual’s pockets. We were devolving them, so that the poor mwananchi in Kenya can come up. We want there to be fairness, so that as a country, we can achieve the level of growth we envisaged under Vision 2030. The competition we are having about where money should go should not be the responsibility of a few individuals. It should be for every Kenyan since it is for the benefit of every Kenyan. Article 6 of the Constitution talks very well about the two levels of government, the national Government and the county governments being distinct, but interdependent. There must be mutual consultation at all levels, so that everything is done for the benefit of all Kenyans. With those few remarks, I support the Bill."
}