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{
    "id": 583954,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/583954/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 313,
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    "content": "asking questions. They want to know, for example, if an appointment was made, who was appointed, were the minorities and persons with disabilities considered, as Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. has said. These issues are in law and guaranteed under Article 35 of the Constitution. Not only that, if you look at Chapter 2 of the Constitution in terms of good governance, we have the issue of transparency and accountability. The only way we can rule out under-hand and funny games in the counties is to have this information available to the public. There is no better way than to have this done in an official manner. If there is a Bill that you want to access, you can get it without having to go to the county assembly; you can just walk into the printer’s office and as a public entity or as a private citizen, access the information you need. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we have been speaking about the issue of public participation because many of the counties do not carry forward what exactly people want to see. The ideal situation after five years of devolution should be that services are closer to the people. We can have more bed capacities in hospitals that have expensive bedcovers and curtains. Priorities are misplaced. We are seeing so many of these. The only way is not to wait until it is out and make a very good story about it but to arrest these upside down and lopsided priorities before they happen. The only way to do that is to have this information. The office of the printer will go a long way. First of all, in making sure that information is out there. This will help to stamp out corruption and ensure that even the laws that we have are enforced; for example, the 30 per cent access and also in terms of appointments. How do we audit the implementation of these laws if this information can only be released at will and when one feels like releasing it? It should be compulsory for any government institution at whatever level to provide this information to the public. Then we will follow up even on the laws that are made at the county level. I had written a letter to the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC) because its role – I feel there is a gap on what is being legislated at the county level because we do not have someone who is following up on the kind of legislation in terms of aligning it with the Constitution and making sure that it does what is meant to do. We can then, look at the kind of legislation that is coming out of the county assemblies. You can access it as a Senator or a private citizen. We can follow what is being done. This is not a choice. Unless we empower these counties, this will remain an excuse. That, we have to come to Nairobi and queue; it will remain an escape route; that in any case, every legislation, order and Act has to go through the small house at Haile Selassie Avenue. If we can devolve this office, like the Bill is suggesting, then we will have efficiency, proper oversight and information flow that is required in the counties so that we can ensure that devolution works. That way, by the time we are doing an audit of five years of devolution, then we can say “we are here today, we should have been here if we did this better, we should do better in the other term.” When we come back to office, in whatever capacity in 2018, we should not talk about the teething problems. This baby must have grown teeth and we should have done away with the milk teeth. We should be having permanent teeth because we would have had five years of laying the foundation. If we will have the same problems after the next election, then we would have failed in our role as legislators or Senators and custodians of devolution. The importance of this Bill is that it will make county governments effective and work properly. I join Sen. Sang in saying that this is the right spirit; that, we can access information. 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."
}