Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 719965,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/719965/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 269,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Dr.) Nyikal",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 434,
        "legal_name": "James Nyikal",
        "slug": "james-nyikal"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. The division of revenue is the most important and crucial function of devolution, which is the most important aspect of the new Constitution. I know that experience in the last four years has raised a lot of issues on the propriety of the utilisation of funds at the county level. There has been a lot of complaints about corruption in those areas. Despite that, I believe devolution is a great principle and I still believe there is need to increase money at the county level. This 32 per cent is something we need to increase and deal with the issue of corruption. The processes that we have indicate that we realised that the money we allocate is not enough. We still have a lot of money in Ministries that do devolved functions like water, agriculture and health. A lot of money is still there. We even have conditional grants. We have Level 5 hospitals and there is use of fees and management of equipment in heath which indicates that we need more money there. People are beginning to question whether devolution is a good thing or not. I am completely convinced that even the health sector as devolved can function well. The only issue that I have always said and I want to state here is that we have not followed the principles we laid down in the Constitution as far as devolution is concerned. If you look at Schedule Six that gave rise to the Transition Authority and the Transition to Devolved Government Act, we never used it at all. The Intergovernmental Relations Act that replaced the Transition to Devolved Government Act, which is meant to guide devolution, is not being implemented properly. The technical committee that was supposed to put it in place is not heard of. Even Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council (IBEC) that looks at the accounts that link the national Government and the county government does not get adequate information that gives the needs of the counties. As a country, we must go back, look at the Constitution and the instruments that we put in place for devolution and be humble enough and say that we have not done it. We need to scrutinise them and put up teams to review them and carry on with devolution as we should. It is a great principle that we should not think of reversing. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker."
}