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{
    "id": 563666,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/563666/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 327,
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    "content": "The Constitution, says quite clearly that the Provincial Administration will be restructured in the spirit of devolution. That too has not been done. Therefore, it is tragic for the county governments not to have its village councils in place because it will help in phasing out the Provincial Administration as provided for in the Constitution. If we are late in laying down the structures of devolution, and failing to respect the section of the Constitution that calls for the phasing out of the Provincial Administration, then there is something wrong that we are doing. Therefore, Sen. Madzayo has brought this Bill to make sure that appointments in the counties are done in accordance with law. Madam Temporary Speaker, I will point out articles in the Constitution which relate to and cry for this Bill. Before I do so, part of the incompleteness in county governance is the fact that in quite a number of counties, we do not have clerks to the county assemblies. In my county in particular, we do not have a properly appointed clerk to the county assembly. That county assembly needs three or four deputy clerks to run it effectively. So, if the main clerk is not in place, and the deputy clerks are also lacking, then there is incapacity at the county assembly. Some of the things that Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) do or fail to do, is because of inadequacy in the civil service at the county assembly level. This Bill will, not only provide a framework for making sure that the CPSBs interview those people at the point properly, but they will also be aided to be abreast of the kind of civil service they need in the counties. Another level of civil service which is lacking in the counties where we have cities like Kisumu, is the City Management Boards. You realise that cities like Mombasa, Kisumu and Nairobi collect a lot of revenue. First and foremost, that revenue should be used to improve the standard of living in the cities because they require substantial funds to be run properly. That cannot be done without a proper CPSB that focuses on the governance in the city. Secondly, we know that agriculture, land and water have been devolved to the counties. Most counties have not established their land boards. In many cases like in Kisumu County, the National Land Commission (NLC) has interviewed appointees to the land board, but they have not yet been put in place by the county assembly. This Bill will definitely compel county assemblies to appoint and put in place necessary manpower to run institutions that are envisaged in the County Governments Act as well as the Constitution. If you look at Clause 8(b) of this Bill, it says that the issues for consideration by the relevant county assembly in relation to any nomination, shall be the following:- (a) the procedure used to arrive at the nominee including the criteria for the short- listing of the nominees; (b) any constitutional or statutory requirements relating to the office in question. If you look at Article 235 of our Constitution which concerns staffing of county governments, it reads as follows:- 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."
}