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{
    "id": 601512,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/601512/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 335,
    "type": "other",
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    "content": "(a) the existing situation and gaps within the county with regard to supply of goods and delivery of services aimed at ensuring the realisation of economic and social needs of the residents within the county; (b) the areas of priority that require immediate intervention by the county government in the realisation of economic and social rights of residents within the county; (c) the best interventions that would ensure that the gaps identified under Paragraph 3 are addressed; (d) the financial implications and the resources that would be required to address the gaps; (e) the outcomes of previous interventions; and, (f) the appropriate interventions that should be carried out, subsequent to the survey, in order to ensure the realisation of economic and social rights of the residents of the respective county and the expected outcome.” Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I am reading this particular part because at the moment, this is the biggest sin that counties are committing. There are the so-called integrated plans which are not necessarily based on evidence, facts and data. I would guess that if you took the integrated county development plans of about five counties, you may find that they are carbon copies of each other, whereas the realities in counties are very different. When this Bill is implemented, it should be an example for getting data and evidence for all other aspects of planning in the counties. This particular one just deals with social and economic rights. However, I am quite sure that if you plan in the counties to build roads and other infrastructure to collect revenue, levy certain taxes allowed by the Constitution, they should all be based on proper baseline surveys. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this brings me to a very crucial issue. To what extent can counties have baseline surveys if they do not have their own capability of collecting statistics? At the moment, I would guess that all counties entirely rely on statistics generated by the National Statistical Authority (NSA), which has its branches in counties. However, we have two choices; one, either to make sure that counties domesticate the branches of the NSA in those counties – I am not quite sure whether these branches exist in all counties – or the counties, notwithstanding the existence of the NSA branches, establish their own statistical departments for purposes of collecting data and baseline surveys for planning. In other words, the County Executive Members in charge of planning of finance do not have the same portfolio as finance. This is because the planning person gives information to the finance person so that the finance person can allocate adequate resources in line with the information that the planning executive member gives them. In this regard, knowing fully well that finance ministers the world over are always very conservative about finances, it will not be any different from counties. In this regard, the planning portfolio in a county will be responsible for these baseline surveys so that the allocation of money as envisaged in Article 11(d) where the Bill says the financial implications and the resources that will be required to address the gaps. 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."
}