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{
    "id": 646056,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/646056/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 216,
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    "content": "per cent for fiscal responsibility will not be given to every county which does not demonstrate fiscal responsibility. Otherwise, why is it called \"fiscal responsibility\"? The 2 per cent should be held in abeyance until a county can demonstrate that it is fiscally responsible. One test of fiscal responsibility is raising local revenue and demonstrating that the county is developing more and more capacity to raise the local revenue and use it responsibly. The problem in many counties including mine is that there are many sources of locally raised revenue. For example, counties with cities such as Kisumu or Nairobi County have tremendous revenues coming from the city market rates, parking rates, land rates and others sources like advertising rates. People advertise in public by, for example, putting a billboard indicating that there is nyamachoma . The moment you put that sign board in public, there is a rate you pay to the local authority. The moment you announce what trade you are involved in by putting some signs on your car, there is a rate you pay to the local authority. If a local authority is not efficient to find out how many advertisements are there in the city or county, they will not collect that rate. So, the efficiency with which local authorities collect rates and they enter into the Budget of the county is very important. The second issue I want to raise, which Sen. Hargura also raised earlier, is the role of the national institutions at the county level. These are the Kenya National Audit Office (KNAO), the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS). These are national institutions but they cannot function without having roots among the people and counties where the people are. So, their first line of action is in the counties. You cannot say that you are a national organisation and you only relate to Nairobi City County. Nairobi City County would not be there if other counties were not there. These national institutions must show us their work at the county level. Senators here are complaining about corruption in counties. What is the EACC doing? What is NSIS and KNAO doing at the county level. I think Sen. Musila was right that some of these offices--- I do not believe that these are junior people because the other day – Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale and Sen. Ndiema will support me – we were looking at the audited accounts of a certain county. The information that was being given by the audit office at the county level definitely showed that there was some mickey-mouse going on and these are people who know what they are doing. So, before we even hold county governments responsible, the national oversight and accountability institutions at the county level must do their work transparently and accountably. Unfortunately, at the moment, corruption is so rampant in this country that these institutions are also on the take. One day, I overheard a discussion between some governors in the Very Important People (VIP) lounge who had not realized I was there. They said: “Look, do not worry about this auditing. We can take care of those people at the local level.” This is a disastrous statement coming from people who are looking after counties. These national institutions at the county level, which should help us, are given a lot of money. Unfortunately, the Senate which is very vocal on this issue is not given resources to go and do its work. If we had resources, we would have research assistants in 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"
}