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{
    "id": 777918,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/777918/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 305,
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    "content": "the thoughts, the good work and the input that he has put into this Bill. I hope that as we debate this Bill, we will improve it and even make it better. We cannot shut our eyes to the fact that when we enacted our new Constitution in 2010, we were in a hurry to set out the boundaries for our 47 counties. If I can recall well, initially, the Bomas Draft had intended that this country should have 14 regions. But when there was a meeting of the political class in Naivasha, it was resolved that we should have 47 devolved units and that is how we came to have the current 47 counties. So, in essence, the creation of the 47 counties was done in a rush and we used the boundaries that were governing the then districts. That is how we came to have a county like Nyamira which has four constituencies while our neighbouring Kisii County has nine constituencies. We cannot again fail to emphasis the fact that we have had disputes in various counties in terms of boundaries. I am happy to make my presentation when my good friend, the Senator from our neighbouring Kisii County, Sen. (Prof.) Ongeri, is in the House. We had serious boundary disputes touching on one town bordering Kisii and Nyamira Counties, that is, Keroka Town. At some stage, there was a likelihood of serious fights between residents of Kisii County and residents of Nyamira County. I remember that we were at a loss on how best to resolve the disagreements in terms of the boundary in the urban centre called Keroka. If you have driven through Keroka, the left side as you drive to Kisii is historically presumed to be Kisii County while the right hand side is presumed to be Nyamira County. In terms of amenities, the market is on the right side which is presumed to be Nyamira County. On the left side is where we have a number of butcheries and is presumed to be in Kisii County yet these these two counties must collect revenue. It became a big problem to determine whether the revenue collected from vehicles that drive through Keroka should go to Kisii County or Nyamira County. As I speak, that issue remains unresolved. I am giving this example to demonstrate to this House why we should all join hands in supporting this Bill. Madam Temporary Speaker, having gone through the Bill, I appreciate the fact that in appointments to the composition of the various Committees that are mentioned, it has taken into account involvement of stakeholders and also brought in people who have experience in these areas. For example, going through Clause 9, I have seen that the composition of the Mediation Committee will have a chairperson who is, at least, an advocate with 15 years of experience. This is someone who is qualified to sit in the Supreme Court which is the highest court in the land. This is a good thought by the drafter of the Bill; that the person that we will entrust with the task of guiding the Mediation Committee will be somebody who is experienced with dealing with dispute resolutions. Madam Temporary Speaker, the only addition I would like to make is that we need to have a clear mechanism of picking one man and woman who should represent the interests of the counties that are involved. I also want to propose that this country should begin to appreciate people who have rendered exemplary service in the public service. When we speak of picking people who have experience in conflict management, my recommendation is that these people should have experience in public administration. 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."
}