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{
    "id": 568975,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/568975/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 246,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Oyugi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 444,
        "legal_name": "Augostinho Neto Oyugi",
        "slug": "augostinho-neto-oyugi"
    },
    "content": "functions, the national Government also ought to be transparent in terms of dealing with county governments. We have had a back and forth decision on the leasing of medical equipment by the national Government on behalf of county governments. A conditional grant or a conditional allocation of monies to counties presupposes the fact that the national Government already knows the reasons why the money is being given and that is why it is a conditional grant. So, to the extent that some county governments signed the leasing of equipment agreement without knowing what they are leasing, is to give them a mandate with one hand and also take that very mandate with another hand. We ought to be transparent in how we deal with the county governments. So, whereas some mandates are purely theirs, conditional allocation ought to be one that gives them a chance and room to make decisions because we have already made the money conditional. The second thing is that we need to proceed and agree with county governments on issues of the road sector. What ought to be county roads? What needs to be national Government roads? Currently, what we have is that everyone in the county and national Government are using the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) doing all manner of roads. Infrastructure in the rural areas especially roads is one of the most key things in terms of rural development. So, we have money being wasted or duplicity of resources simply because we have not agreed with county governments on what constitutes county government roads and what constitutes national Government roads. I am hoping that we can resolve this first enough so that all issue that deal with county, we agree that we already have a mandate and we are going to allocate them monies so that we avoid duplication of resources. The other thing that I would like to speak to is the fact that we need to make county assemblies strong units. I do not know what the Senate has done with the monies they have given to the county assemblies but you appreciate that there are some MCAs who are supposed to be exercising oversight. But the oversight role is encumbered by the fact that some of their salaries, remuneration and packages are being paid by the governor’s office. What then happens is that we end up with a couple of MCAs whose salaries and allowances are either doctored or not paid in good time simply because they are seen as prefects of doing the good job that MCAs are supposed to be doing. We need to make county assemblies autonomous if at all we are going to have proper oversight on the county government funds. Unless county assemblies have autonomy or are in charge of their own purse and you have speakers of the various county assemblies relying on governors for little pocket money and little allowances to run their offices, you cannot have a county government functioning in that manner. That is the same problem that the National Assembly suffered from for several years and that is the reason why for a long time, you found Members of Parliament dependent on the Executive. The only way a county government can function well is by ensuring that county assemblies have enough money and dependent on a vote. Whatever we can do to make that possible, we must disengage county assemblies from county governments so that the executive of county governments and the county assembly are two distinct units autonomous in the manner that they work."
}