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{
    "id": 705635,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/705635/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 118,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Wandayi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2960,
        "legal_name": "James Opiyo Wandayi",
        "slug": "james-opiyo-wandayi"
    },
    "content": "in the entrenchment of devolution. As we all know, devolution is one of the greatest gifts that have been bequeathed to us by this new Constitution. Unless we entrench it, Kenyans might not benefit from it. The county assemblies have been operating in some kind of vacuum, legally speaking. This Bill goes a long way in creating an enabling structure or framework for the county assemblies to operate effectively. The three key roles of the county assemblies, just as it is for the National Assembly are legislation, representation and oversight. For the county assemblies to undertake these three very vital roles there needs to be a structure and framework, which has been lacking. This Bill is going to cure this very sad anomaly. If I may dwell on oversight a bit, it is very important because for the first time we are aware that a lot of funds are being taken to counties. They are funds that have in the past been managed or administered from Nairobi. It is the first time since Independence that these funds are going to the counties. However, they are going to the counties without a clear framework of how they are to be managed. It is also true that one of the greatest cancers in this country is corruption. It is equally true that with the coming in of devolution, corruption has found its way to the counties. The county assemblies as currently constituted have a problem. First, is lack of adequate capacity. Secondly, it is lack of framework - I have talked about it - to enable them undertake their oversight role effectively. This Bill is going to enable and empower the county assemblies to do their work more effectively. I have seen the Senate somewhat transforming itself into a county assembly. Why do I say so? In my understanding, and I may be wrong, the work of overseeing county governments vests in the county assemblies. It vests in the county assemblies and they do not share that role with any other institution least of all the Senate. The role of the Senate is largely supposed to protect the interests of the counties and their governments. They do not do so necessarily by starting to oversee county governments on a daily basis. If this Bill is passed, I believe county assemblies shall be adequately empowered to undertake their oversight role so that the Senate can continue doing the role it has been given by the Constitution. This will ensure that there is no duplication of duties and we do not have the Senate and county assemblies scrambling or fighting each other over oversight to county governments. It is also important, just like it was pointed out by my friend, Hon. Wamalwa that when these boards are constituted, we ensure we put in place people who have the requisite knowledge, skills and experience. That is so, so that they are able to play the role they are required to play in those very important boards. I was talking to one speaker of a county assembly the other day. To be frank, it is the Speaker of the County Assembly of Siaya. That is when I learnt that speakers of county assemblies do not even have budgets. If they have any, it is something that has been dictated by the SRC. We would like a situation where speakers of county assemblies enjoy the latitude that the Speaker, for instance, of the National Assembly or the Senate, enjoys so that they have a budget they can operate within to be able to play their roles effectively and equally. The boards need to have a budget which must be appropriated by county assemblies and not by the SRC. These should be budgets which will enable them do the work they are empowered by the Constitution to do so that order is finally created or restored in county governments. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}