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"id": 1048620,
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"content": "weeks in each month. The sittings would run through mornings and afternoons when the Senate was in recess, and only mornings when the Senate had plenary sittings. Since the Committee handles voluminous documentation, it was noted that it was difficult to effectively scrutinize and consider such documentation on virtual platforms. The Committee, therefore, successfully appealed to the Speaker to be allowed to hold physical sittings. We are duly grateful for the indulgence that he gave us. The challenge of operating under a very tight schedule of interrogations and the heavy backlog of reports, coupled with the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) situation, slowed down the Committee’s effort to consider and table reports within the short period. It is for this reason that the Committee sought the intervention of Standing Order 219 (4) of the Senate Standing Orders, to allow for extension of time for the Committee beyond the end of Session, and ensure that the Committee continues to operate until a new Sessional Committee is established at the commencement of the new Session. Mr. Temporary Speaker Sir, in the sitting Schedule, the Committee lined up for interrogations all the 47 county executives. For the first time since the inception of devolution, the Committee also lined up for interrogations all the 47 county assemblies. The Committee held meetings with 46 governors and clerks of 25 county assemblies to consider the Auditor-General’s Reports for Financial Years 2015/2016, 2016/2017, and 2017/2018 for county executive entities, and Financial Years 2013/2014, 2014/2015, 2015/2016, 2016/2017; and, 2017/2018 for county assemblies. This House will recall that in the last Senate, during the period 2013 to 2017, interrogated only 18 county assemblies on the audit reports of 2013/2014, implying that 29 county assemblies have never been oversighted by the Senate since inception. It is also worth noting that all county assemblies have never been oversighted by the Senate on the audit reports from the financial years 2014/2015 to 2017/2018. The Committee cannot rule out the possibility of direct relationship between the lack of the Senate oversight of county assemblies and inadequate financial management in county assemblies. It is for this reason that this Committee utilized part of its tight schedule in interrogating county assemblies, in order to put them on their toes in undertaking proper financial management. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the Committee examined the reports of the Auditor- General on the financial statements for the above mentioned county executives for the financial years, beginning with the most recent audit, 2017/2018, 2016/2017, 2015/2016, and identified various fiduciary risks, which had been a subject of debate and acceptance by this House during my predecessor, Sen. M. Kajwang’s Session. In this Motion, my Committee presents the reports in three volumes; each volume consisting of 15 separate reports for five county executives, for three consecutive years 2017/2018, 2016/2017, and 2015/2016, making a total of 45 reports. I can easily say that each of these reports, Volume I, II and III contains about 700 pages. Therefore, you are likely to look at the report which contains 2,100 pages in the first round of Volume I, II and III. In the other years of 20 counties that will be tabled later, there will be another 800 pages constituting more than 3,000 pages of the Report that this Committee has been able to write. I must say that it is one of the most exhausting report writing exercises I have ever ventured to do. One can say that we are used to report writing and marking scripts in 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."
}