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{
    "id": 705658,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/705658/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 141,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Dr.) Nyikal",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 434,
        "legal_name": "James Nyikal",
        "slug": "james-nyikal"
    },
    "content": "Constitution, which should have indicated to us the point that laws should have been in place for the county assemblies to operate. Not long ago, we passed the County Assembly Privileges Bill. It is surprising that county assemblies have worked for three years without any protection in terms of privileges. The Senate has done a good job to come up with this Bill that works on the legal framework and the structure. As other Members have indicated, the danger with this is that it borrows what is happening in the National Assembly and having relatively little input from the county assemblies. That tends to weaken the assemblies. It is important that this Bill brings in basic issues as values. We have many complaints and noise on corruption. Looking at the legal structures in county assemblies, we do not have values like competence, integrity and honesty. We thought we would infer them from what applies in the Constitution and what applies at the national level. The Bill brings in the code of conduct. How did we expect county assemblies in the whole country to run for three years without a stated code of conduct? On what basis are we blaming them? The Bill also establishes the County Assembly Services Board. How would it have been in the National Assembly without the Parliamentary Service Commission? We have done a lot of disservice to our country. We are now in the right direction. This Bill puts in place clear criteria for appointment of members to this board. There have been complaints that the qualifications are too high and that we are insisting on members having degrees. That should be the way to go. We have qualified and well trained people in this country. When we say that the expertise and knowledge required at the county level should be less than at the national level, we will be demeaning the counties. Services to the people are rendered at the counties and that is why we want people who have great understanding of how things should be run. That should not worry us. The Bill clearly states how members of the board can be removed including petitions, where members of the public get opportunity to make input if they think that certain members are behaving inappropriately. The provision that members can be co-opted is extremely important. Looking at the functions, administration and supervision of services in counties, you wonder how we have been operating all these three years. The structures that have been set up are important. How were the members and employees’ terms of service and disciplinary matters being handled? It is important that these issues have been brought into this Bill. That provision is desirable and long overdue. The Bill also establishes the office of the Secretary to the Board who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Accounting Officer. There are counties that have had great struggles between the governors and the speakers because the financial structures are not clear. The office of governor is executive. Dealing with the provision of service and the running of the county assembly needs fund of its own, as is established in this Bill. What rationale is used to determine these issues when people go to court? How comes we did not realise that we have a big lacuna that is causing problems? We have the same problem across all the counties. That clearly indicates that we have problems in terms of guiding structures that can give basis for proper decisions to be made. I do not understand how county assemblies have been working without the office of the clerk. Who has been carrying out the legislative work? Who has been organising the speaker’s office? How has the office of the speaker been managing all the work without the office of the clerk? Who has been the custodian of the legislative work? This Bill is timely. We will, however, consider amendments in the Third stage. The County Services Fund is long overdue. How were the decisions made to the funds allocated to 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."
}