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{
    "id": 680082,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/680082/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 111,
    "type": "other",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "have a lot of silt deposition in them; and they take all that silt to the Indian Ocean. Elsewhere, you will find that it is difficult for big rivers to let water flow to the oceans. Most of that water should be used particularly in counties where the rivers flow through. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, in this case, therefore, we expect that county governments have enough money to construct dams. That way, the water can be used for irrigation during the dry season. In this case, we will make sure that we grow enough food crops that can be used as subsistence before we even think of exporting it. That is why a country like China is capable of producing and feeding its population of 1.5 billion people. This, to me, is one of the wonders of the modern world. How can a country with that huge population afford to grow food to feed its people and still have surplus for export to earn the rare foreign exchange? With this kind of exposure, we can borrow their ideas and see whether it is possible to have the same here in Kenya. In the process of doing that, we would share some revenue and ideas which we were to pass today. The revenue would go to counties where we would see some development. It is also important to note that most of our citizens out there are suffering from adjustment due to lack of proper medical care. We have noted that the Government has given out some equipment to hospitals but they are not enough. We will need to make sure that our people have and continue to live in good care. Of course, this is the care that you see any other time that somebody is sick, we fundraise and spend a lot of money to fly these people to India for treatment. We take India as a health destination. However, we should not be thinking of India or any other country every other time. We also need to come up with a solution which can address this problem by upgrading our health facilities and giving them adequate and relevant equipment so that we treat our people locally. This is being noted in the Great Rift after what the Government did last time when every other county was given money or equipment to have two hospitals equipped in order to handle calamities. It is also important to note that the people who are handling money in our counties seem not to be very well equipped. I suggest that part of this money is used to train the relevant personnel particularly in monetary issues. We should have people who are trained to handle the money prudently. Quite often, we read the Auditor-General’s report that some counties have misused money either in construction of buildings or other things. We heard that in some counties, a gate was put up at a cost of Kshs7 million and a bed bought at Kshs1 million. There are even places where dogs are fed on Kshs2 million annually. This is coming from county governors. Had we cautioned these people through the oversight motions, I am sure they would not have made the mistakes that they are making now. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is important that this money which is being discussed today and the money that has been released by the Treasury should be spent well. The Senate should oversight that money and the oversight should not be seen as a useless process. It is a process that we have to make sure that it is undertaken thoroughly so that money disbursed to counties is properly spent. The purpose of today’s discussion was meant to ensure that the money disbursed is well spent and even caution governors who might use this money without due process that the money should be used prudently. 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"
}