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{
"id": 886768,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/886768/?format=api",
"text_counter": 438,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Cherargei",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 13217,
"legal_name": "Cherarkey K Samson",
"slug": "cherarkey-k-samson"
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"content": "When you look at this Gross County Product Report and the Auditor-General’s report, most counties were accused of either allocating zero per cent to development or even less than 20 per cent as provided for, which should be around 30 per cent to development. The issue is how we will ensure that county governments allocate this 15 per cent to development at the ward level. According to the Auditor-General’s Report, which has also been circulated in the media, most of the county governments allocated zero per cent in terms of development. When it comes to amendments, I want the Committee to relook and ensure that it is sanctionable for county governments. The county executive can decide to buy flowers, tea, national newspapers or everything but in terms of ensuring that the allocation of 15 per cent coming against the challenge of zero per cent to development because even my county is standing at 80 per cent in Recurrent Expenditure. The wage bill has just “busted”. Madam Temporary Speaker, the county governments are now employment bureaus. A new governor, like when my governor - I do not want to cast aspersions on other governors although they are in the public domain because on this I can prove - came in, he fired 1,000 people that had been hired by his predecessor and hired another 2,000 people on a three-year contract basis. The wage bill is now sky-rocketing and yet we are looking at the same money that is being allocated, and we are saying; after 30 per cent or 20 per cent has been allocated to Development, we come again and look at 15 per cent, to allocate to Development. That is why we are saying that own source revenue is very critical in sustainability, especially in development issues, in terms of collection of revenue at the public level. Clause 7 states:- (1) The residents of each county shall identify development projects for implementation, in their respective county, in accordance with this Part. (2) The County Executive Member shall co-ordinate the process of identifying the projects for implementation under this Act in the respective wards and shall, for this purpose ensure public participation. However, I want to request that we include the village councils and also the local leadership, because as it has been provided by the County Government Act, Section 53, No. 17 of 2012, there is already an elaborate provision under that Act, that has brought out and ensured that village councils can be used to identify projects. Madam Temporary Speaker, this Chief Executive Committee (CEC) member co- ordinates, identifies and ensures the implementation of projects. I wish the village councils committees can still be used for follow up. This is because if the CECs are called by their boss the governor, he can say: “Because people in Ward A did not vote for me, I do not want that project to be implemented.” In his wisdom, the CEC can just decide and say: “Let us remove these things; we will not do it because of one, or two vested interests.” Madam Temporary Speaker, I will still request that even as the CEC coordinates and ensures the identification process, we still need the village councils, the local leadership, the opinion leaders, civil society organizations (CSOs), the local community, among others, who can still identify the projects. We can even use the famous council of elders. We have the Luo, Kalenjin and Kamba council of elders. They come from those specific areas. We can still use them to identify these projects, because at the end of the day, we want to serve the community."
}