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    "id": 773190,
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    "content": "controversial- may be ahead of us and that is where we need to go. We need to have proper performance evaluation. I believe that Sen. M. Kajwang - who I hope will also come back as the Chair in this new session - agrees that this is the way to go. As Senators we would want to find a lot of relevance in terms of how we do performance evaluation. Madam Temporary Speaker, another key issue that comes out in the County Public Accounts and Investments Committee, (CPAIC) is the need to ensure that we look at conditional grants to the counties. We have the ordinary sharable revenue that comes from our taxes, but there are also conditional grants that the World Bank, for example, is giving this country under the assistance development programme of about Kshs600 billion. This money is shared between national projects and those happening in the counties, based on devolved functions. But, are we able to monitor these and isolate them? The minimum requirement is only 15 per cent of the ordinary sharable revenue. Over and above that, the monies that are being devolved are over Kshs300 billion. There should be full disclosure with regard to monies that are being given by bilateral and multilateral development partners. That is agreeable because it impinges on our national or sovereign debts. What is it that we are borrowing for? Are people getting value for money at the counties or people are enriching themselves? We need to have that direction in terms of those who will be privileged to serve in the CPAIC. Madam Temporary Speaker, as I wind up, I want also to comment on the issue of delegated legislation. It is important to know that Parliament has been in a rather awkward situation because we make laws, but when we delegate power of legislation to whatever body; whether an independent office, a constitutional commission or a statutory body, sometimes we have seen situations where those regulations and gazette notices seem to work against the spirit of the very law that we pass in this august House. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the new Members who will serve - and I congratulate them- to make sure that in exercising the powers to legislate that we delegate, they should adhere to the goal that was set out in the mother law. Today, we are still in court with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) because of a gazette notice. The SRC has powers to make certain regulations or circulars based on legislations that we have originated. We need to look at that and mechanisms through which Parliament must hold accountable those whom it has delegated power to legislate; that they still become accountable to the oversight authority of Parliament. Madam Temporary Speaker, I do not want to speak much. I congratulate those that will serve in the Committees. I hope that in this new Session we shall see a more robust Senate, full of agenda that is geared towards empowering people in the counties. I support."
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