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{
    "id": 592450,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/592450/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 232,
    "type": "other",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "said to be a national asset. It is fallacious to say that the dam is a national asset. It must be a national asset co-owned by the county government so that when we are pumping water from Ndakaini to Nairobi, we also take care of the Murang’a people. All the swift rivers running from Tigania, Meru and all those places to fill up Tana River must be jointly managed and protected by both the national and the county governments. I am saying this because the paltry sums of money we are taking to the counties can never be enough to look after all these important resources that make our lives, those of our children, grand-children and our future generations to survive. Therefore, it is important that the trillions at the centre be dispersed to the counties with an attendant responsibility and accountability. Mr. Temporary Speaker Sir, we are seeing these ridiculous stories of purchasing curtains, wheelbarrows, meat hooks and all manner of things at prices that are a total outrage. This country must make corruption uncomfortable at all levels. We know the purveyors and consumers of corruption at the top. We are now seeing this happening at the counties. Mr. Temporary Speaker Sir, Nigeria normally does not provide good examples. In Nigeria, after the first term of devolution, half of the governors were jailed. Some are still in jail for life. There are those who fled to England. You remember there is one who was extradited the other day, he had stolen the entire allocation of his state. He had packed and left to live like a king in United Kingdom (UK). They caught up with him and brought him back. This country must make corruption very painful for those who perpetrate it. Otherwise, you will go to the countryside and find that every time you talk about devolution, it is the convoy of the governor, the sirens as they blow around. If you go to Imenti and ask the people what devolution has achieved, they will tell you they see the governor driving in big cars. He tells you our governor brought Kanda Bongoman to play music in our county. That, their governor bought wheelbarrow worth Kshs109, 000. There is a musician who has sung a song entitled: “ Machakos kaunti ni kaunti ya sinema ” - showbiz and obscene display of things that are not happening to appear like they are happening. That is not the devolution we envisaged. That is not the devolution Kenyans want. If you go to any village and ask the youths whether they have been awarded a contract of about Kshs2 million, you will find none. Contracts are just shared. Procurement rules are broken, the Auditor- General is busy telling us the money has not been properly spent and that ends there. The Controller of Budget is saying the rules have not been adhered to and it ends there. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) will move in, statements recorded and that is the end of the case. Mr. Temporary Speaker Sir, we need value for money. Even if this Senate was not to do anything else other than legislation and dividing ourselves into effective groups to look at how the monies we are sending to counties are being spent we will be doing a lot of good to this country. Even if we spent 60 per cent of our time working as Senators to make sure money is correctly spent, that will be worth it. Like I have pointed it out, the little money that is going to the ground in certain counties like Wajir, the reports you see are indicative that something can be done. In fact, the offending counties are counties that were pampered before. They had good offices, roads and towns. The money that is coming in now is like pouring a glass of water into the sea. You do not see it. 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."
}