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{
    "id": 1161343,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1161343/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 182,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Olekina",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 407,
        "legal_name": "Ledama Olekina",
        "slug": "ledama-olekina"
    },
    "content": "We are in the era of technology. Today, when you go to a supermarket and pick a few items, the cashier or the check-out system asks you about your mode of payment. If you want to pay by M-PESA, you give out your number, and all of a sudden, you get a notification in your phone for you to put your password because they have already taken money. Why can we not come up with a system that when KEMSA or any other supplier of medical equipment or drugs sends them, the person who receives them must acknowledge and show that they were delivered? There were many items that were not delivered to county governments. I do not know how they disappeared. I really hope that people will not start treating pandemics as situations to steal any money. Madam Deputy Speaker, the other recommendation was that county governments should, in addition to governing financial reports generate non-financial reports on key milestones achieved in regards to the activities relating to Covid-19 pandemic. There should be an integral financial and non-financial reporting for efficiency and effective monitoring to enhance accountability and public participation in management of funds. Such reports should be published for general public scrutiny. Each and every county that we went through received money from individuals. We know what the Public Finance Management Act stipulates when it comes to money. In fact, Section 109 of that Act requires each county government to deposit all their money in one Revenue Fund Account and then request that money from the Controller of Budget, for them to spend it. There was a county government that was given Kshs300,000 and it was impossible for them to deposit in the County Revenue Fund (CRF). This is because they were given that money and they had to spend it immediately. The Committee, therefore, saw it fit for the county governments to come up with all those reports for financial and non-financial management. This is because if you are given Kshs300,000 and you have your revenue streams, how will you account for it? It was very important for us to really look at that. In future, we may need to amend the Public Finance Management Act to take account of pandemics or emergency situations, where county governments can receive funds and not be required to deposit into the CRF. Section 109 of the Public Finance Management Act, as it is, only exempts funds that have been exempted by another Act of Parliament, for example, a hospital or an emergency fund. In a pandemic, unless it is specific, because there are regulations on how money deposited in any funds are spent, it becomes very difficult and challenging. We listened to the governors explain how it was very difficult for them to deposit that money in the CRF and then call again for them to spend either to buy water, sanitizers et cetera, to help their people navigate the Covid-19 period. The other recommendation that we gave was that the annual financial statements and reports of the county executive for the current financial year, which is 2020/2021, should include a comprehensive section on non-financial information in regards to the activity relating to Covid-19 responses. Madam Deputy Speaker, this recommendation was directed to the Auditor- General; that, when they now go to the county governments and audit their financial statements, one of the most important thing they should do is realize that county"
}