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{
    "id": 583972,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/583972/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 331,
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    "content": "that has run through the presentations and the debate by most of my colleagues. We do not expect to see a lot of unexplained delays in the 47 county printers when they come into operation. The element of efficiency and effective service delivery to counties will be paramount. I thank Sen. Wangari for pointing out that, surely, this is a Bill that should have been passed a long time ago. This is because the challenges that counties continue to face should have been dealt with by the provisions of this Bill. I think we need to fast-track the process of implementing this Bill, pass it in the Senate, send it to the National Assembly for concurrence and hope that the greater interest of our counties will be looked into, as the debate and process continues with regard to this Bill. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I also thank Sen. Okong’o from Nyamira County and Sen. G.G. Kariuki. One of the critical roles of this House, as they pointed out, is to help establish mechanisms for our counties to carry out their mandate. The passing of this Bill is one such opportunity for us to ensure that counties can move faster and deliver services and their mandate in a manner that satisfies the public. Sen. G.G. Kariuki, you might be shocked if you went to the Office of the Government Printer in Nairobi today, and found that the same table and reception that you left when you were the Minister for Internal Security in this country are still there. Whereas that was under your docket, most likely nothing has changed in the Government Printer until now. It is the same with the environment. We know that this country has gone through tremendous change but when you go to the same place, they are still using typewriters. The place is in a mess. We hope that as we establish County Printers, for this Senate to pass Bills and any legislation that we need here, we still need the Government Printer in Nairobi. There is need for us to modernize it so that as we have effectively working County Printers in the 47 counties, the Government Printer in Nairobi is also modernized. We need to remove the obsolete printing machinery that they still have and bring in modern equipment that meets the needs of the current generation. I, therefore, thank Sen. G.G. Kariuki for pointing out that these are issues that we need to address. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, Sen. Ong’era pointed out that we need to safeguard the County Printers that we are establishing against possible misuse by governors, county executives and county assemblies. It would really be unfortunate if tomorrow, you found that County Printers are being used to produce fliers that support governors in their campaigns instead of being used to produce score cards that will indicate to various counties on the performance of county governments. So, we must ensure that we insulate the Office of the County Printer against misuse by some of these county governors, whom we have seen misusing every facility available to them. It will shock you and it is only in counties where you find that a county government vehicle is parked well past midnight outside a bar, while an officer of a county government is enjoying himself, taking his one, two or three beers. This kind of wastefulness is an issue that we think we ran away from within the centralized system of Government. Unfortunately, it appears to everyone now that we actually devolved these bad manners. We hope that as we institutionalize some of these offices within counties, they will look at Chapter 6 of the Constitution and ensure that they abide by integrity, accountability and being responsive to the needs of county residents that they represent and that they serve them. 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."
}