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{
    "id": 880008,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/880008/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 276,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Makueni, WDM-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Daniel Maanzo",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2197,
        "legal_name": "Daniel Kitonga Maanzo",
        "slug": "daniel-kitonga-maanzo"
    },
    "content": "before it finally goes to the President. I believe the committee which was handling this has done a very good job. We have now synchronised the two systems. County governments are still very much dependent on the national Government. Devolution is meant to take development to the grassroots. Right now, it has a good percentage of money allocated to it although most of it has not been used well and that has been the cause of the fight. When a county assembly does its job properly, then the governor feels it is time to wind up the government and all of them go back to election even when it is unnecessary. Therefore, unless they have good reasons, it is not going to be business as usual. No county government will be dissolved unnecessarily. This is a very big improvement of the County Governments Act and it is going to make devolution much better. Even with future constitutional amendments, which is the mandate of the people through a referendum, devolution is a big thing in the country and many Kenyans have supported it. I believe strengthening it by these amendments is a good thing and it is good for all Kenyans. One clause of the Bill says that upon termination of a suspension of a county government, at a point where a county government has already been suspended, then an interim county management board appointed under Section 126 shall stand dissolved. Then the governor, the deputy governor, members of the county executive committee, the speaker and members of county assembly shall resume their functions and continue to receive their benefits in full from the date of termination of the suspension and shall hold office for the reminder of their term. This is one of the new developments which have come in and it settles the situation in county governments so that there is not going to be a gap, a moment of confusion, a moment when no one is in charge of resources or when the county assembly is not doing its oversight duty. This had not been seen and was not present in the previous law. In the event a county government was terminated before you conduct another election, there was going to be a big gap and a problem and no one in charge of that county. You know even preparation and planning of a new election will take a minimum of three months. What will be happening in that county? What will happen to the people and development? This Bill has sealed those gaps. It has even gone ahead to introduce new definitions, clearing issues and problems which the first County Governments Act, before its amendment, had. This will go a long way to make sure that Kenyans are served better and for longer and the purpose of devolution is realised. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I thank you. I support the Bill and urge other Members to support this important Bill."
}