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{
    "id": 890816,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/890816/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 166,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Malalah",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13195,
        "legal_name": "Cleophas Wakhungu Malalah",
        "slug": "cleophas-wakhungu-malalah-2"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I want to continue seconding the Report of the Senate Committee on Finance and Budget on the County Governments’ Infrastructure Projects, comprising county executive headquarters’ offices, county assembly chambers, county assembly offices and county state officers’ residences. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I congratulate the Committee and the Chairperson. As I do that, I remind this House that Article 201(d) of the Constitution of Kenya on the Principles of Public Finance provide that- “public money shall be used in a prudent and responsible way;” This Report has clearly reported on how counties have used monies on non-core projects yet we have counties which are grappling with lack of basic amenities. The Fourth Schedule of our Constitution clearly states the functions that have been devolved, and what the county governments should prioritise when it comes to the devolved functions. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we have the Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) and health centres, which are a core mandate of the county governments. There are county governments which do not have dispensaries, where people walk for 20 to 30 kilometres just to access a basic health amenity. This is so, yet counties are spending millions of shillings on doing a house for the governor. Therefore, this Report has recommended various ways in which we are going to curb the misappropriation of public funds and also prioritise projects. When you read Article 10(2)(d) on National Values and Principle of Governance, it demands for sustainable development. It is, therefore, prudent for the county government to look into how they are spending their money. It is quite unfortunate that we have county governments which are spending Kshs800 million just to come up with a county assembly chamber, yet the residents of that county are grappling with abject poverty. It is, therefore, important that we look into the recommendations of the Committee. However, the big question that I kept on asking the Chairperson was what will happen next after tabling this Report. Mr. Speaker, Sir, we need to ensure that the resolutions of this House are respected by the respective constitutional offices. We need to forward these resolutions to the Controller of Budget (CoB) to ensure that the recommendation on the ceiling of the amount of money that should be used in coming up with the county government headquarters, governors’ and speakers’ residences are upheld. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}