Johnson Arthur Sakaja

All parliamentary appearances

Entries 3261 to 3270 of 5036.

• 3 Apr 2019 in Senate: Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for the opportunity to support the Bill on the County Oversight and Accountability Bill (Senate Bills No. 28 of 2018). The Senator who has proposed this Bill, Sen. Olekina, is fast rising to get into the history books as one of the most effective legislators. He is my junior, legislatively, because this is a House that acknowledges seniority based on the terms that one has served. I advise him to keep at it. He should keep moving towards that direction. Kenyans are beginning to see him as a beacon of hope in a Parliament that ... view
• 3 Apr 2019 in Senate: Aladwa before Dr. Kidero came and it has slowly deteriorated to what we have today under the current Governor. Is this what we call a promise? Was it a poisoned chalice? That is the question that we ask ourselves though we can also answer ourselves, as a House. The reason as to why devolution has not lived up to what it was expected to be is because we have not used the appropriate mechanism of oversight to follow up on the resources that we have sent to the counties. That is the reason as to why this Bill is important. ... view
• 3 Apr 2019 in Senate: We have failed to be creative enough to design a model of governance that is in tune with the immediacy of the 21st Century. The institutions of governances we have today were designed in the 15th Century to move along with communication technology-- -. view
• 3 Apr 2019 in Senate: Madam Temporary Speaker, that is why I am supporting the Bill. The institutions of governance then were designed to move with the information technology of the 15th Century, which was the printing press; to support a fast growing, young dynamic population of the 21st Century that is savvy and online. view
• 3 Apr 2019 in Senate: When you call people for public participation on a Tuesday afternoon, one, you are insinuating that they are jobless. Secondly, they will say, “even if I come, what impact will my contribution have on the policy-making process?” That is why we need to be creative enough to even include the use of technology in public participation. Counties need to provide the physical facilities. They should also move beyond that to create space for the use of technology such as WhatsApp, Tweeter and Facebook for people to send in memoranda and to see a participatory budget-making process. view
• 3 Apr 2019 in Senate: I am very passionate about devolution. In the year 2009, I wrote a book together with the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ). It was probably the first book that was talking about our current operational framework for fiscal decentralisation. The book is available to Senators. We outlined the principles of devolution in that book. 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. view
• 3 Apr 2019 in Senate: I know Senators are very much aware that the first principle is that devolution is principled around the principle of subsidiarity. That means that a service is best offered within the smallest or lowest benefit area compatible with that service. That is why there are certain functions that are devolved to the smallest unit. As we have devolved, we have left things hanging at the county. If you go to the wards and villages, many will tell you they do not feel the difference between how things were before devolution and today. view
• 3 Apr 2019 in Senate: Madam Temporary Speaker, the way they would feel a difference is if a huge chunk of their discussions actually make it to the budget making in a county such that people in Narok North once they have sat through a budget-making participatory process and agreed that their priority is a road in Nairegi Enkare, Suswa or wherever it is, then they see it, they would believe in devolution and public participation. view
• 3 Apr 2019 in Senate: I am sure, Madam Temporary Speaker, you have participated in public participation platforms and seen the fatigue of wananchi . When you go there, they say, “but Just last week, there was another committee that came and asked us about what we need and we said it was water.” You have gone there to ask them about a Bill on county oversight yet, they are saying, “You, people, come too many times. You are only coming here because of per diems .” We need to redesign how we do that form of public participation. view
• 3 Apr 2019 in Senate: Secondly, you cannot have proper oversight without information. Majority of our people do not know how much money has been budgeted for their counties and wards. That is why I had a very passionate appeal that we do not treat the money that we have secured for county oversight as just money to go around. It must translate to actually giving proper information to the citizens. view