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{
    "id": 701373,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/701373/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 215,
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "will hear some governors say the money would still come, whether the Senator is there or not. The question is which money would have come? You will all remember that if we did not assert our constitutional duty as the Senate in 2013, we would not have reached a situation where the Executive and the National Assembly respected the amount of money that is going to the counties.The debates in this House together with the work of the Committee on Finance, Commerce and Budgethave played a key role in determining the amount of money that goes in the counties. In my report card to the people of Elgeyo-Marakwet County, I can say without any fear of contradiction that Ihave ensured that the amount of money that is shareable to the counties is more, thus Elgeyo-Marakwet gets more money. I have a legitimate responsibility and role under Article 96 to go back to my county and ask how the money is being used. Elgeyo-Marakwet County and its neighbour, Baringo County, are facing challenges on matters of security. Security is a national function, but the county governments should provide enabling mechanisms of dealing with security by providing an environment where our youth are kept busy. There should be access roads that enable security officers and the people of the county to access all areas for security enforcement. A Governor cannot, therefore, sit and say that they have no role in facilitating the security team to do its work. This is because we have transferred to them the cluster roads, thus they should allocate money to ensure that these roads are accessible. The counties cannot say that security is not their role because they have the enabling responsibility that facilitates the functioning of that role. Agriculture is a devolved function. There are a lot of watermelons that are being grown along Kerio River valley. Developing Kerio River and that area is a function of Baringo, Elgeyo-Marakwet and West Pokot counties. They are supposed to put resources to ensure that the youth who would have engaged themselves in cattle rustling and acts of violence are having an alternative thing to do. Therefore, there is something that our counties can do through devolution to facilitate an environment that averts a possibility of violence going forward, and this could be through farming. The politicians are taking advantage of idle youth on the ground because devolution has not become an answer to their problems. I urge my colleagues, including the Baringo and West Pokot Senators and Governors to be agents of change. That is better than saying that you came to this House and succeeded in life. It is not right for us to go back and tell children of poor people in Elgeyo-Marakwet, West Pokot and Baringo counties that they shall remain there practising cattle rustling and fighting over land when we know that our children have better opportunities of education. That is why investing in the right environment in so far as devolution is concerned is the only way for us to move forward. That is the reason as to why Sen. Anyang’-Nyong’o and Sen. Sang have received a different call from the one they received in 2013. They now want to serve as governors in their counties. As an example, the Senators should be willing and ready to go and implement what we discuss here because I do not know if the current governors and MCAs are doing so. This is a very good document for our colleagues who will be governors. 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"
}