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    "id": 736878,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/736878/?format=api",
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    "content": "equipment. That is because equipment will have improved the services. Any time we interact with the people who elected us, we have challenge because it looks like, instead of health services improving, they have either remained stagnant or they are actually deteriorating. This is an area we need to provide effective oversight, as a House so that, at the end of the day, we do not just set aside resources and they are not assisting Kenyans in terms of improving their livelihood. When you read this Bill, and as the Chairman has said, it has been mentioned that some additional resources have been included in the new Bill. I am really interested in the so-called rising fuel levy. We realise that the county governments are going to be given a conditional grant of Kshs7.9 billion which is going to be an increase from Kshs4.3 billion. This is happening because the fuel levy has improved. We are saying, even as we set more funds aside for the roads, Hon. Members will agree with me that, when you go down there to the ground, most of the roads are still in pathetic situation. I plead with the people in charge of those resources and, more so, the governors and the Cabinet at that low level to make sure that the resources that are set aside for improvement of the roads are used for that purpose. The other area of interest which Members should be interested in is the money which has been set aside by the World Bank. It has provided Kshs1.5 billion as part of the conditional grant to the county governments. This money is supposed to help our county governments in doing the following: Strengthening the public finance management system; strengthening the human resource management system and strengthening the monitoring and evaluation systems. I have a bit of interest in the area of monitoring and evaluation and the civic education public participation. Those are the areas which if we get right and have them improved, Kenyans will be able to monitor what is happening with implementation. There are a lot of complaints any time you go out there. Anytime you see governors being summoned to the Senate, most of the issues have to do with misdirection of funds or Kenyans not getting value for the money which has been set aside. This is an area which, as a House, we also need to provide oversight so that at the end of the day, Kenyans can ask the hard questions to do with implementation. I want to plead with the Departmental Committee on Finance, Planning and Trade which takes care of the monitoring and evaluation docket so that we make sure even as we improve the systems, the Directorate of Monitoring and Evaluation is provided with more resources to do the necessary monitoring of the resources. As I conclude in seconding this Bill, as a House, we need to take up the challenge. The Report from the Budget and Appropriations Committee says that the only audited and approved revenue accounts are for the 2013/2014 Financial Year. We are in the 2016/2017 Financial Year which means, as a House, we are in arrears by about two years. The reason why you see some of these Public Accounts Committee reports and Public Investments Committee reports being tabled and passed and they do not make a lot of sense is because of being in arrears in terms of approving these reports. I want to plead with this House and the 12th Parliament to make sure that strategies are put in place so that we catch up these arrears and at the end of the day, we are up to date in terms of approving these reports of both revenue accounts and audited reports. This will help this country in terms of making sure that we are up to speed and the decisions which we make can be implemented - not for the sake of implementation but to help Kenyans improve public finance management. The Chairman has talked about the issue of approving this Report. I agree with him. Budget- making is a very important process in this country and more so, for the House or Parliament. It is important as a House that we take time and think through the process. If the Constitution 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."
}