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{
    "id": 733138,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/733138/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 250,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Dido",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2749,
        "legal_name": "Col (Rtd) Ali Rasso Dido",
        "slug": "col-rtd-ali-rasso-dido"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for this opportunity. I wish to thank the Committee for this Report. For those of us who come from marginalised areas or areas that were considered not to be in the central developing part of Kenya, devolution was like a second independence and our people really celebrated it. However, four years down the line, we are shocked and in disbelief wondering what devolution is all about and why it has not worked for us. What we have observed is that devolution is just a cash cow for a few. It is harbinger for corruption. It is an employment bureau. It is a vessel of tribalism and nepotism. We really have very little to celebrate in devolution and yet there has always been a good intention. I thank the national Government for allocating close to Kshs18 billion to Marsabit County since 2013. This is a lot of money, but if you go on the ground and ask where it went, I think it is the elephant in the room. Hon. Deputy Speaker, you will be the governor of Bomet, inshallah, on 9th August this year. This House must be empowered to oversee and have a bigger say than what has happened in the 11th Parliament on how the counties function and how resources are used. We allocate resources and we are told not to ask how they are used. The good thing we have seen in the recent months is that all governors are forming their parties and flying in choppers. Suddenly, they have become very rich that we are moving resources from Nairobi to individual pockets. I think it is the sad story of our times. I like the Committee’s indulgence in terms of attempting to say how the issue of devolution can be addressed by having a Standing Committee like a Departmental Committee to oversee devolution. Currently, the impulse that we are experiencing of having the Senate oversee devolution and at the same time telling the National Assembly to give us more resources is a contentious issue because many of us in this House want accountability and lifestyle audit of governors and people working in counties. 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."
}