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{
    "id": 1234364,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1234364/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 134,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Osotsi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13588,
        "legal_name": "Osotsi Godfrey Otieno",
        "slug": "osotsi-godfrey-otieno"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to comment on the Statement by Sen. Onyonka on pending bills. How I wish the Committee that would be dealing with this Statement widens it so that they consider other counties as well. This is because the issue of pending bills is a problem in all the 47 counties. These pending bills, as has been alluded to by the Senator for Baringo is another way of corruption. If you look at the list of pending bills, many of them are fake. They have not provided services. However, you find that the fake ones are paid but the real pending bills where people have delivered services or goods are not paid. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, we must also look at the entire process of payment in our counties. We had an engagement with the Controller of Budget (CoB) on the issue of approvals for payment. You find that the approvals that are made are not what is paid. Other companies are substituted and paid but the real approvals that were submitted to the CoB are not paid. This is a scam. Yesterday when the CS for National Treasury appeared before my committee, he said that the National Treasury is amending the system. It is automating that process so that we can deal with this problem of approvals which are not paid eventually. I request that the Committee that will be dealing with this matter considers that this is a problem that affects the 47 counties. It should deal with the 47 counties including my own County of Vihiga, where I know genuine contractors who provided services for many years have not been paid. Some of them have ended up being auctioned and others have died out of stress. This is a serious problem which requires the intervention of this House. This is because, as Sen. Cheptumo has said, this House exists to protect counties. We cannot say that we are protecting counties when we are not dealing with the serious issues that are affecting our counties like pending bills. For that matter, I support the Statement."
}