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{
    "id": 655469,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/655469/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 465,
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    "content": "must ensure that Elgeyo-Marakwet County cannot have an excuse now. They need to buy more and better machinery so that they can use the Kshs54 million in fueling and buying the materials that are going to improve the roads to a level of murram road. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I was with MCAs from my county who visited the Committee of Devolution today and they told me that in most cases, they get surprised that roads leased equipment cannot break down but the ones for the county are frustrated by those who manage them and ensure that they break down so that extra money can be used to hire a consultant so that other people can get kick backs. If it is the county resources clearing the machines, there is no opportunity to eat. I believe and hope that my county will not eat at the expense of its own people and at the expense of the benefits of its own people. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, Elgeyo-Marakwet County has been allocated Kshs3.5 billion and it has a wage bill of Kshs1 billion. The remaining Kshs2.5 billion should be allocated for development because we want to ensure development and service to our people. An amount of Kshs2.5 billion is money that was never seen before. We want to make sure that services are delivered to our people and not prioritize the construction of a governor’s or County Assembly Speaker’s house. In my county, Kshs50 million was set aside to construct a house for the governor. The governor argues that he needs the house so that he can serve the people. How was he elected if he is not a resident of Elgeyo-Marakwet and did not live among his own people? I have argued that, that is not a priority for now because all of us are paid a house allowance. The Senator for Elgeyo-Marakwet lives in Nairobi and still serves the people of Elgeyo-Marakwet County. Our counties should prioritize development related programmes that will give services to our people. I want to add that there is an appetite for county governments to finance national functions at the expense of the functions that are provided for in Part 2 of the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution that are related to county governments. Animal control and welfare, including licensing of dogs, facilitation for the accommodation, care and burial of animals are functions of counties. However, the counties have not implemented these services. Veterinary services is a devolved function. Instead of counties hiring veterinarians to vaccinate domestic animals in West Pokot County, they are busy putting money in secondary schools and colleges, which is a national function. Why can we not first focus on trade development as provided for in paragraph (2), so that we have markets, fair trading practices and develop new products for local tourism? Why should we rush to finance a national function that is being financed by Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) and the national Government, just to get the glory; that there is more clapping of hands if you give money to a secondary school rather than allocating it to a function that is devolved? Why should counties be forced to allocate money to universities when that is a national function and not a shared function? Universities should be funded from the centre. Counties should focus those resources on county health facilities, ambulance services, promotion of free primary education, cemetery and funeral parlours and crematoria, which are devolved functions. I had an occasion to ask the Controller of Budget how she manages to approve some of these allocations. She said casually that the Transitional Authority (TA) allowed it. The TA did not have capacity or power to reverse a constitutional responsibility of one county. The only way provided for by law in Article 189 of the Constitution, is if there is a signed agreement between The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}