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{
"id": 734131,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/734131/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "March 2, 2017 SENATE DEBATES 40 Sen. (Eng.) Muriuki",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, I stand to strongly support the Motion for the adoption of this Report. The County Public Accounts and Investments Committee (CPAIC) has done a lot of work. However, this work is not generally visible to the people of Kenya because the action is coming very late. There have been quite a number of frustrations that the committee has gone through; perhaps that is an agenda for another day. As we go on, the Senate should facilitate this Committee, so that it can do its work in time. Perhaps, we need twice the number of secretariat personnel that other Committees have, so that they can ably handle all the 47 counties. Devolution was adopted by Kenyans in 2010 and it was God-sent in principle. It was envisaged that it would enable people in every county to mind their own affairs. They would be duly facilitated to do them, so that they can set their own destiny. However, not only did we devolve corruption, but we seem to have graduated it to embezzlement of funds. What the counties have achieved is far from what those who crafted the Constitution had in mind. When we look at the public accounts of various counties, there are a number of common issues arising across the board. Prominent among them is the procurement process of the various contracts for construction works, provision of services, et cetera . Whenever the Governors are put to task, they say that they are in a new government. However, Kenyans must know that to qualify to be a governor one has to have a university degree. More importantly, each governor is allowed a set of ten experts from wherever they can get them around the country. Therefore, if you are not a financial expert, you will get one. If you are not an expert in procurement, you will get one. If you are not an expert in health services, you will get one. There should be no excuse. Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale has walked out and I would have wanted him to hear this, because occasionally, we do discuss the merits and the demerits of Constituency Development Fund (CDF). I always tell him that when devolution came, I hoped that in due course, there will be no need for CDF. If the governors did what we were supposed to do with the CDF, in a few years - may be in one or two rounds of elections – the CDF would come to an end, because we will have all the secondary schools, primary schools and health centres that we want. However, those expectations have not been met. Madam Temporary Speaker, I can go and on talking about the various counties, but perhaps, it would be good to mention about my county, which is Nyandarua County. We have serious issues of funds spent. We were told at one time that there is a road project. It is very ambitious but when you look at it, in the first year, we do not know what happened to more than Kshs410 million. The roads that were earmarked have not been built. When we ask about it, the governor gives all sorts of excuses. Latrines which are supposed to cost less than Kshs1 million are being constructed at over Kshs5 million. We were also told, at one time, that there was a study for a great master plan for the Nyandarua County. A company from Israel was procured without following the procurement procedures and paid a total of Kshs55 million for the study. The Committee asked why the proper procurement procedures were not followed. At least they should have tabled a report on the same. There is no report and yet, money has been paid to a foreign company. The best that the governor could do was to say sorry; he did not know about what they were supposed to do. 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"
}