GET /api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1240896/?format=api
HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1240896,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1240896/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 394,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sigor, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Peter Lochakapong",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " That is my name. I thank you for giving me this chance to comment on this Motion. This is an audit report for the financial years 2013/2014, 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 - which is 10 or 11 years ago. I do not know whether the recommendations that are here will be of any value now given the time that it has taken for the books of accounts to be looked at. However, that aside, the NG-CDF has touched the lives of many people in this country. It is a decentralized fund which assists Kenyan communities effectively. I have seen some recommendations by the Decentralised Funds Accounts Committee in this Report. If they have not been implemented, I think they should be implemented. One, the fund account managers should be facilitators rather than a hindrance to the performance of the NG-CDF. Many a time, they put a lot of roadblocks in implementation of projects. They also need to take responsibility when an audit report comes out. We have also observed that by the time the books of accounts were presented to the Auditor-General for audit, certain documents were not availed. This points to poor bookkeeping by the fund account managers or District Accountants. In situations like that, they must also be held to account. If someone does not do his work, then that responsibility should not be placed on the shoulder of another person who was not involved. Many times, you realise that when the NG-CDF reports which affect particular constituencies come out, the media and many other people are quick to point fingers at Members of Parliament, whose role is very minimal. It is just to ensure that things run smoothly. The people who account and budget for these funds are the committees with the assistance and guidance given to them by the NG-CDF Board through the fund account managers. Members of Parliament do not have a big role in this regard. They ensure that work goes on well and everything is done according to the guidance that is given by the Board. One of the recommendations of the Decentralized Funds Accounts Committee is that the fund account managers should work with other government agencies and State Departments in project selection, identification, costing and budgeting. I want to differ with them a bit here because that increases bureaucracy. You waste a lot of time trying to get these people. We are in this country and we know that sometimes you are given a BQ of Ksh1.5 million for a classroom that would cost Ksh800,000 but because the BQ comes from a credible Government institution, you are tempted to believe that they are doing the right thing. This may not be true sometimes. We have had cases where we build classrooms for between Ksh600,000 and Ksh800,000 but when you give that work to other Government departments and agencies, they give you a cost of about Ksh2 million. That may not help us because we want to ensure that we get value for money as much as possible within our constituencies. The NG-CDF has greatly helped our people through allocation of bursaries. Though allocation is not uniform across the country, this has ensured that our children access education and are retained in school. That is a good thing. We have also developed school infrastructure. We have built classrooms, and in some cases dormitories and laboratories. This has improved academic performance in learning institutions. In some cases, majority of us have procured buses for our schools. The buses have eased movement of students to symposiums, academic trips or excursions. This has greatly reduced accidents because they travel in their own school buses that are well maintained. In places prone to insecurity like where I come from, we have, through the NG-CDF, established and built police posts and offices for chiefs. This has brought services closer to the people. In places where there is banditry and cattle rustling, we have built security camps. This has greatly helped. I have seen in this Report a suggestion that we give guidelines on the use of the emergency funds within NG-CDF. Emergency funds provided for within the NG-CDF have The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}