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{
    "id": 771175,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/771175/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 181,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Hulufo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13348,
        "legal_name": "Hassan Oda Hulufo",
        "slug": "hassan-oda-hulufo-2"
    },
    "content": "the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, need to be captured in the new law. One specific thing is the role of the county government in the planning process. In the old Act, we had the local governments, which constitutionally had no much powers compared to the current county governments. This Bill has adequate provisions for guiding the county governments and specifying the roles of the County Executive Committee Member for planning in the planning process. Looking at the provisions of our current Constitution and the importance it attaches to public participation, unlike the Act it intends to repeal, this Bill enhances stakeholders’ participation in physical planning processes. One of the honourable members who contributed to this Bill earlier raised concern about the number of members who are included in the physical planning consultative forums. However, if you have enhanced participation, definitely you will have to provide for a broad spectrum of stakeholders in the consultation process. I would like to specifically point out some special groups which had minimal involvement or participation under the old Act which, under the proposed Bill, have been provided opportunity to adequately participate in consultation forums on physical planning. These are people like representatives of residents’ associations. We know that most of our urban centres these days have residents’ associations whose members are taxpayers. They are the first people to know most of the time when some rogue officers violate their professional ethics and facilitate grabbing of land. They actually shout and make sure that the malpractices are contained. Another special group which has been given space to be part of the consultation process are people who live with disabilities. We know that we need as a country – and it is a requirement also under our Constitution – to ensure that people with special interests and who live with disabilities are adequately catered for and of course the Council of Governors. Again, this particular Bill which I support, also makes provision for neighbouring counties. If they feel that they need to have a joint regional plan, it allows them to do that kind of planning, especially those counties which have some conflict around where the boundary passes. I am sure this kind of inter-county planning, which is provided for under Clause 25, will actually help us to address land-based conflicts so that the two counties can sit together and decide the best use to which, probably, the areas under contention should be put and they can come up with a plan which then they can jointly implement. The Bill also encourages integration of different types of plans. We know that because land is shrinking, we need to do things which, probably, under the old Act were not allowed. These are things like urban agriculture so that as we do physical planning, we also integrate it. It allows or encourages integration of different types of plans – the physical plans, the sector plans and so on. Again, in as much as the County Government Act requires our counties to do spatial planning, one of the hurdles which has stopped them from carrying out that kind of plan is lack of law, which is formulated at national level to provide some kind of an overall framework. I see some provisions of this proposed Bill also contributing towards that end. You need to read it very clearly to get the gist of what is being proposed. Much of what is proposed for national level structures, like the liaison committees, are actually to provide advisory to the relevant County Executive Committee (CEC) member on broad natters of planning, strategies and standards, which I think is quite okay. This is so that the other things like the actual planning are left to the counties where actual implementation of the plan is going to take place. With those few remarks, I support the Bill."
}