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{
    "id": 768284,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/768284/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 176,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Wandayi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2960,
        "legal_name": "James Opiyo Wandayi",
        "slug": "james-opiyo-wandayi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Let me add my voice to this debate. From the outset, I support the Motion. It cannot be gainsaid. In fact, NG-CDF is the pioneer devolved fund in this country. It is also not in doubt that NG-CDF has had much bigger impact in terms of development than, perhaps, most of our county governments. There are two issues I want to speak to. One is the assurance by Hon. Duale that the names of the various committees will be gazetted tomorrow or so by the Attorney-General’s Office. That is good enough. However, given the bureaucracy we have in Government, my apprehension is that we may end up going for Christmas and starting the New Year without these funds actually being in the accounts of the various constituency committees. From experience, once the AG gazettes or causes these names to be gazetted, the National Treasury will take its sweet time to release the funds to the NG-CDF Board, which will also take time to release these funds to the constituency accounts. After that, you will also have some time waiting for the Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIEs) to be released. My view would have been that if there is anything that should make this House not to go on recess is the matter of the disbursement of the NG-CDF. Hon, Speaker, you need to inform Hon. Duale that I have never resisted development. What I resist is bad governance and autocracy. This House must put its foot down and demand that these monies be disbursed not only by the National Treasury but also by the NG-CDF Board before it can even imagine going on recess. If we do not do so, I caution my new colleagues that you will be in trouble come January when everybody will be on your doorsteps looking for bursaries. The second thing I want to speak to is the matter that was raised by my good friend and neighbour, Hon. Washiali. The purpose of the Constituency Oversight Committees has now been negated. It was a great oversight on the part of the NG-CDF Committee under Hon. Lessonet to have failed to put in place a mechanism to facilitate these Committees to enable them to function properly. An oversight Committee cannot play its oversight role without facilitation. These Committees actually exist at the mercy of the MPs. I am sorry to say so. They do not even have money to move from one point to another. So, one of the things that the new NG-CDF Committee should undertake as a matter of urgency is to ensure that there is a proper mechanism for facilitation of the Constituency Oversight Committees to enable the NG-CDF to function properly. By so doing, they would be helping the Office of the Auditor-General in making their work much easier because most of the work that office does is as a result of, perhaps, lack of proper oversight at the constituency level. With those very many remarks, I support this Motion and pray that these monies are released as quickly as possible. Thank you, Hon. Speaker."
}