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{
    "id": 1238871,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1238871/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 175,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Emuhaya, ANC",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Omboko Milemba",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "allocation, it takes long and sometimes it is frustrating. You may want to re-allocate money that was meant for land because the land is not available, and when you send it to Nairobi, it may take up to eight months; which is very frustrating. The Board in Nairobi must become more efficient in terms of allowing the NG-CDF to re-allocate funds from time to time so that it does not lead to a situation where a fund account manager may re-allocate without getting approval from the Board. I must indicate that with time, the Board has been very assertive on the type of projects that we should do. They tell us what to do and what not to do, despite the fact that those are projects that emanate from public participation, and the report has explained that it must be done. In some cases, they have observed that it was not done efficiently. We support the Report, but the Board must adhere to what is approved by the public participation teams. Hon. Temporary Speaker, there is a recommendation and an observation on the cost of projects, especially in the concerned coastal constituencies. I am also saddened by the fact that most of the MPs from those constituencies are not in the House. I would wish to ask the Hon. Chairperson that he should be magnanimous enough in future to inform Members when he knows that their constituencies are going to be dealt with. It is not his task, but it is very unfortunate when MPs for the concerned constituencies are not present. I was talking about the standardisation of the cost. This has been a matter that keeps coming up in this House, and we have been very divided because the cost of those buildings is different. I wish the Report would tell us more, despite the variation in the cost of each project within the coastal region that they observed. For instance, if they are talking about the cost of a classroom, they should compare its cost with what those fund account managers and the general public is supposed to observe. The people who determine the cost of any project like a classroom are public works engineers. Their costs tend to be very high all the time. I do not know what the case in the Coast Region is, but in our places, they tend to build one classroom at a cost of Ksh1.3 million. Sometimes, we realise that if we go in that direction, we may not do as much as possible. So, we tend to do it at a much lower cost. How I wish the Report would bring out the comparison between the public works themselves, who are the official advisors on bill of quantities, and what happens within the coastal region and in other areas. I cannot be gainsaid on the issue of disbursement of funds on time. It has been mentioned a lot. It is a key thing that affects the administration of the NG-CDF. It was worsened this year because it came in slowly in small units. Therefore, bursaries were also given in numbers, if I may borrow from National Youth Service (NYS) language that we used. The funds are given in portions. So, their recommendation on the timely delivery of the funds is very much welcome. Hon. Temporary Speaker, on the issue of the accounting, other Hon. Members may have spoken on it. The accounting, the reports and the document supporting the accounting are not available. This is because of the chain of the accounting that is required of those funds. Hon. Chairperson, the process of accounting is fairly too long. We have the district accountants popularly known as DAs. Those are mysterious guys. They worked in the old Government and they are still around and are very experienced. Whenever I have a discussion with my committee members, it is like they continuously intimidate them in one way or another. They even hold them at ransom on many cases. I would wish to raise this to the Hon. Chairperson. They have to move at the speed of the DA. So, one cannot move projects as fast as possible. Now I realise that even the documents…"
}