James Lomenen Ekomwa

All parliamentary appearances

Entries 681 to 690 of 730.

• 6 Mar 2014 in National Assembly: need to be transparent to Kenyans in whatever they are doing. So, this Board is very key because it plays the oversight role. view
• 6 Mar 2014 in National Assembly: Article 95(2) says that the National Assembly deliberates on and resolves issues of concern to the people. This Board is not just being established for the sake of it or because maybe we have some issues with the Senate. However, this is being established to play an oversight role. As Parliament, we are supposed to discuss issues that are of concern to our people. We heard what happened yesterday and that was an issue of concern to the people. view
• 6 Mar 2014 in National Assembly: The citizens of Kenya were complaining. We heard what was happening in Kakamega and it was a concern. So, we cannot just watch citizens suffer, bleed with needs and we assume. We have to solve their problems. view
• 6 Mar 2014 in National Assembly: Hon. Speaker, I also support this Bill because this forum reduces hostility and does away with wrong perceptions among leaders at the county. You can confirm that there is hostility in some counties as leaders have never met since the elections. They see others as enemies. However, this Board will create conducive environment for leaders at the county to sit down and settle their disputes or differences instead of solving them in public barazas or in public abusing each other. This will also be a forum in which leaders will sit, reduce their tension and declare their interest. I think ... view
• 6 Mar 2014 in National Assembly: Let me just give an example of my county. I have never seen the governor nor have I sat with him since he was elected. You can imagine this. When will I play my oversight role if I do not sit with him? When it is optional, it cannot happen. It is the law that will force leaders who are not ready to meet to meet. view
• 6 Mar 2014 in National Assembly: Hon. Speaker,this Board also gives leaders an opportunity to solve teething problems that have been observed in devolution. This is because we are learning since devolution is being implemented for the first time. Because we are experiencing problems, we need to have a Board that will solve them so that we advance. This Board is also aimed at mitigating the embezzlement of funds by county governments. I want to give you a clear example of what happens in my county and this is very painful. view
• 6 Mar 2014 in National Assembly: The county government constructed a county road that KURRA had constructed at a cost of Kshs1 million at Kshs23 million. That is an eight kilometre road and the same funds have come from the national Government. I constructed the road at a cost of Kshs.1 million but the county government used Kshs23 million to construct it. That is not enough. This money was used to just grade and gravel the road. view
• 6 Mar 2014 in National Assembly: Hon. Speaker, the other example is that the county government has used Kshs33 million to construct a road that KURRA, through the CDF, constructed using Kshs4 million. This is the case and yet this is taxpayers’ money that the same Government is using in different ways. This is what I call embezzlement of funds. That is not enough. view
• 6 Mar 2014 in National Assembly: The county government used Kshs33 million to repair a house that the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) constructed using Kshs20 million. You can imagine that. This is gross violation of the law and we need a Board to oversee this.Governors have realized that the national Government has now tightened the nut in the way resources are being used and they have come up with ways to make money. This is what we observed in Nairobi and I am very sorry to say it. However, observation is not a sin. Because there are very many vehicles in Nairobi, the only way you ... view
• 6 Mar 2014 in National Assembly: is by increasing the parking fee. What is available in Kakamega is maybe chicken and so you increase the levy on chicken. If you go to Turkana, you will get what is available there are goats and therefore you increase the levy on goats. This is exactly what we are saying. People are getting alternative ways of looting from the public. We thought that devolution was coming to reduce the burden of ordinary citizens but we have observed that the ordinary mananchi is suffering. That happened yesterday. Wananchi are crying. They thought that devolution would reduce their burden but they ... view