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{
    "id": 813142,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/813142/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 141,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "July 12, 2018 SENATE DEBATES 25 Sen. Olekina",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for giving me a chance to contribute briefly to this Bill. I am yet to come across a Bill that promotes devolution in this country. Any Bill which is sponsored by the Majority Party and, more so, by the Government, does not care about devolution. From the outset, when you look at the objects and purpose of this Bill, you will be duped to say that it is actually very good, because it seems to be giving effect to the provisions of the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution. However, when you proceed and read it, you realise that it is an avenue of curtailing and taking powers away from the devolved governments. Madam Temporary Speaker, I will go straight to the point and I will not belabour the issue. If this Bill was really designed to ensure proper public participation and accountability, there is no reason why everyone who is in that Board is from the Government. They should have improved it by including representatives from the Kenya Institute of Planners (KIP) or accountants, just to bring in some independence to ensure the transparency that they are talking about in this Bill. Madam Temporary Speaker, Clause 10 talks about the classification of these roads. This should not be left to one person. It should be dealt with by an independent body. When you give the Cabinet Secretary (CS) powers to classify roads then, he can wake up at any time and decide to classify the roads as he wishes. The other big issue I have with this Bill is to do with the creation of this national trunk roads. This is interesting because they are classifying county roads but then the function of designing those roads is given to the national Government. Where is the county government in this? This is, therefore, a terrible Bill because when you read every clause, you find that it is just an avenue to abate corruption. Clause 56 states- “The Cabinet Secretary responsible for finance may, in consultation with the Cabinet Secretary, make Regulations in accordance with this section authorizing the imposition and collection of road user charges by the Authority in respect of roads, including national and county roads.” There was no public participation; you did not consult the county governments and yet you continue taxing Kenyans, who are currently overtaxed. Just the other day, we objected to the introduction of a 16 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on petroleum products. We are charging taxpayers more on all petroleum products, which will increase all their taxes; yet again, we give the CS powers to introduce a levy. It is taking away our job as legislators. We are giving powers to them by creating some mini-gods who will levy more taxes to Kenyans as if we are not overtaxed. Madam Temporary Speaker, when you read Class C where it says “secondary national trunk roads”, this is part of the national trunk roads. It says- “Roads forming important regional routes, linking county headquarters or other regionally important centres, constituency headquarters, municipal or town council centres and other towns to each 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."
}