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{
    "id": 797886,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/797886/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 260,
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    "content": "For the functions that have not been transferred, we might need to reopen the discussion on costing of functions. For things like roads, we have had a dispute on re- classification of roads regarding the roads that are to go to the county and the ones that are to remains at the center. We have the Roads Bill that has not made a lot of progress. We will need to help counties to ensure that there is adequate costing so that when they take on the roads responsibility, they are sure that they have adequate funds to manage the infrastructure in the counties. Today, I saw a paid advert in the newspapers by a county asking members of the public and good Samaritans to help them to reconstruct an infrastructure that has been demolished by the raging floods. Sometimes, people do not want to get into things that they believe the Government should be doing especially when we pay taxes through the nose. We need to make sure that counties have got adequate resources to deal with these issues. I also want to talk about the Managed Equipment Services which the President cited as a success as far as devolution is concerned. This House has pronounced itself in the past that the national Government does not need to interfere in the running of counties and in the Managed Equipment Services. The national Government bullied county governments to take up these equipment which has been a mixed bag of blessings. Some counties have not operated using their machines. They are waiting for doctors from Cuba to come and turn those machines on. This is one area that the Committee that I chair; the County Public Accounts and Investment Committee, has been discussing with the Auditor- General. It could be the first candidate for a performance audit. Traditionally, we have been dealing with financial statement and audits that look at compliance; was procurement done well and were reports submitted in accordance with accounting standards? We want to take a different view and look at central issues. For example, we want to pick health and ask if the investments that have been made by counties and the national Government in healthcare are realizing the desired outcome. We want to do a specific performance audit and a value for money audit before the Government pours more money. This is because healthcare is part of the big four. When we were in Kakamega, the Cabinet Secretary for Information and Comminications and Technology Mr. Joe Mucheru took us through a very complex integrated health management platform that the Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology (ICT)is developing to support universal healthcare. Before we pour more money, technology, equipment and Cuban doctors into this system, we must ask ourselves how it has performed. We will be discussing this progressively with the Auditor-General to see whether the Senate can get a picture of those investments. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the President talked about corruption as his second key issue in his Speech. There was a departure from the past firmness. I wish the President could have come with another list of shame so that it could put pressure on those who have been implicated in corruption. However, as it is, we have new players in that space. Not in the space of being corrupt but of dealing with corruption. We have a new Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Attorney-General and a Parliament. The only old thing that we have is the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC). I urge the EACC that going forward, we should move away from 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"
}