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{
    "id": 646098,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/646098/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 258,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Nzoia and other agricultural counties are suffering. They are also poor. Their land is being sold. They cannot repay loans. When banks collapse, some of the loans that make them collapse are agricultural. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the loans that make banks collapse are the agricultural loans. The farmers are no longer making any more money from coffee, tea and maize, among others. What we should be doing is ensuring that the counties which produce food are fully supported. In the same manner that we give conditional grants to the counties to run the Level Five hospitals, Trans Nzoia County also demands that we give conditional grants to produce maize and purchase fertilizers. If my county were to purchase fertilizers today with all its resources, the allocation we get would not be enough. What is developing from the first year is the small disparity between the highest and the lowest county. The highest was getting two or three times more. As the amount grew, the disparity increased. There are counties which are getting almost five times what the other counties are getting yet the administration is the same. Since the allocation is based on the percentage, some county assemblies have more money and are remunerating their members better than others. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, since we are advocating for more funds to the counties, it is not to say the counties are innocent. There is misallocation of funds. The counties are getting funds for devolved roles but they misappropriate on roles which are far off their mandate. There is a lot of impunity in procurement departments. The county officials deliberately and wastefully procure because they have been in government before. The procurement officials know the procedure because they have been in the Government for a long time but through impunity, they are wastefully procuring by overlooking regulations and the law. They carry out single sourcing. It looks like they know that if they appear before the Senate, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), they will claim they knew and that they are in a learning process. Therefore, they request to be pardoned. Unless stern action is taken, particularly by the Senate against the officials who are misusing public funds, this problem will persist. There are enough legal provisions to deal with such cases. The Senate has authority to recommend that certain public officers do not deserve to hold public office. Those who wish to be elected will not be elected. However, we are yet to see strong recommendations to that effect. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, devolution was supposed to be devolved further to the counties. However, if you go to most counties today, the governors have concentrated power on themselves. They authorise vouchers on who to be paid and those to be awarded tenders. Tenders are only given to the governors. The Executive Committee members in most counties are idle. They are not AIE holders and they cannot transact business. Therefore, sub-counties have no money. That is not to mention the wards. They have recruited officers who are idle, earning but they are doing no work. The public debt has been growing in this country. How much is this debt supporting the county programmes? It looks like the national Government has found a way of going around the budgetary process by outrightly signing loans without consulting 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"
}