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{
"id": 1161341,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1161341/?format=api",
"text_counter": 180,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Olekina",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 407,
"legal_name": "Ledama Olekina",
"slug": "ledama-olekina"
},
"content": "environment for them. Therefore, during a pandemic, all of them will go to the UK and be paid £1,000 a month, which is better than what they would be paid here. The Exchequer will delay in sending their money and so, they will not be paid. Therefore, we must navigate these challenges to ensure that we run our counties in a more mature and accountable manner. The other recommendation is that the public finance management capacity of Level 2 and Level 3 health facilities need to be strengthened to ensure efficient and effective planning, budgeting and utilization of funds, especially during a pandemic. This will strengthen county governments’ responsibility and responsiveness to Covid-19 and other pandemics. Madam Deputy Speaker, I reiterate that point again; that, the capacity in Level 2 and Level 3 hospitals is very low. Governors should start to run these county governments as if they are businesses that intend to make profit. You will have to care about every income stream of any departments that you run. If you run a department and it is always in the red, there is no way to navigate an emergency or a pandemic. On the issue of public management, they are very simple legislations. If each county government takes time to ensure that the staff in those county governments understand, we can run this country in a better place. One is the public auditor; second, the Public Finance Management Act; and, third, the Constitution of the Republic of Kenya. Once accounting officers who are Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (CPA (K) are conversant with what is allowed and what is not allowed by these pieces of legislations, then this country will run in a better way. Sometimes when a person is given a department to run, they run it as if it is the beginning and the end of their world. Whatever you get, you grab as much as you can, but you are not accountable. We noticed a lot when we went through all those audit queries, which were raised by the Auditor-General in relation to how the Covid-19 funds were spent. The other recommendation is that all county governments should automate the stock management system and strengthen capacity of officers managing inventories. I do not remember whether it was Kakamega County or Isiolo County, where the records of the goods which were bought from either Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) or donations which were given to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, things like masks and sanitizers were not kept well. You will find that the delivery note states that X amount of materials, which translates to X amount of shillings. However, when you go to the stores, those items never got there, yet KEMSA will say that they delivered. This is because either the staff who work there do not know how to keep the records, do not have a system that can record what they received or do not know how to manage their inventory. I have remembered one other recommendation, but I do not know whether it has been noted here. The inventory management system in relation to Covid-19 or any pandemic should be centralized. For example, from the dispatch, they would know that Mandera County received X amount and it must acknowledge for them to be cleared from the system. For example, if KEMSA is the one dispatching and Mandera County does not acknowledge, then, that item remains there until it is acknowledged."
}