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{
    "id": 803467,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/803467/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 354,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "content": "remember, during the elections, many people would argue and say: “My name was listed in the nomination paper in the Gazette .” However, his name was not in the Gazette, but in the newspaper. So, people would have issues and start fighting by saying: “Which “gazette” is it on?” Even the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) can take advantage of this County Printer. Although it is a national function they deal with, but now they can even publish the ward elections in the County Gazette so that people can see the number of candidates contesting for a particular seat. Madam Temporary Speaker, the benefits are immense and will help in flow of information. The golden rule of information is to share the necessary or relevant information. If I want to change my name today, for example, I will follow some laid down procedures. For example, I will approach a lawyer who will get for me a deed poll which must be published by the Kenya Gazette . This information may be shared to the citizens in counties. By following that procedure, I can easily have my name changed and published in the County Gazette . Madam Temporary Speaker, I am one of those people who believe in devolution. If we want to take services closer to the people then we have to do so without much delay. It is a shame that this Bill was introduced in the previous Parliament and it lapsed without it being enacted. I want to encourage the Mover to lobby Members of the National Assembly so that this Bill is passed immediately. Once it is enacted, it will protect the interests of the county governments. It will also help us save resources, empower our people and enlighten them in terms of information. Let them know if a particular policy has been adopted by their local governments and whether that information is readily available to them. They can get it by either walking to the county printers or it will also be locally available. The other thing I love about this Bill is the electronic aspect of the County Printer. This is because we have depleted our forest cover in this country. I urge the Mover to propose certain amendments to this Bill that will help us determine what kind of information will be printed in hard copy and what to be reserved in electronic format. In the United States of America (USA), for example, in the Department of the Secretary of State when registering a company you do not have to fill documents manually, but you do so electronically and a certificate will be issued to you. As I said, I would suggest to the sponsor of the Bill to put in an amendment that will stipulate what can be printed in hardcopy and what can be available in soft copy. By doing so, it will help us save a lot of money. In addition, this Bill helps reduce wastage. Clause (6) says- “In performing the functions under Section 5, the Office of the County Printer shall coordinate and liaise with the Office of the Government Printer and shall ensure that there is no duplication in printing and publication of documents.” There is no reason as why the Government Printer should print what can be printed at the county level by the County Printer in this era of devolution. Madam Temporary Speaker, this is an opportunity to create more jobs in counties and we avoid the rural-urban migration although nowadays we do not have many rural areas. We will be bringing a Bill to this House to create more urban areas and centres. 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."
}