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{
    "id": 635298,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/635298/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 293,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "face with the then Chair, Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, the whole town came to a standstill. The people of Homa Bay County thought that CPAIC was coming to Homa Bay County because they had a new Member of the Senate. May I tell the people of Homa Bay County that I am not the one who brought CPAIC to Homa Bay, but the Committee was doing its constitutional mandate. They were going round all counties trying to establish whether the county governments had done a good job. When CPAIC was in Homa Bay County, things changed overnight. Suddenly, people became serious. They started appearing in offices and staying in office from 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. This is because they were afraid that Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale could come anytime and find them on the wrong side. The CPAIC is a powerful oversight tool. I hope that as it discharges its mandate, let us not forget that primary oversight lies with the county assemblies. It worries me that the Senate is capable of looking at the Auditor-General’s Reports on 47 county governments and 47 county assemblies yet, the county assemblies that are looking at only two reports rarely finalize their work in time. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I pose this challenge, particularly to my Homa Bay County, because I know the Homa Bay County Assembly Public Accounts Committee has not processed the work of the Auditor-General. Primary oversight is the responsibility of the county assembly. In my view, the Senate should undertake secondary oversight. It is not for us, as a Senate, to be the ones finding out that wheelbarrows, pens or in the case of Homa Bay that hatcheries were bought at inflated prices. Such issues should have already been established by county assemblies, so that the Senate just comes in to provide the second layer of oversight. I hope that the County Public Accounts and Investments Committee (CPAIC), as newly and properly constituted, will also find ways of empowering their counterpart committees at the county assemblies so that they do their job. Whenever we go back to the counties and talk about poor utilisation of funds, they tell us that we were voted to go to Nairobi. Therefore, we should criticise President Uhuru Kenyatta but not governors. I pray that the CPAIC donates copies of the Constitution to all Members of County Assemblies (MCAs), particularly, counterpart members of CPAIC, so that they understand that our role as Senate is not just limited to criticising the ruling Government but it also extends to oversight over the national revenues that have been sent to the counties. I support."
}