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{
    "id": 1241225,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1241225/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 299,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Maanzo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13589,
        "legal_name": "Maanzo Daniel Kitonga",
        "slug": "maanzo-daniel-kitonga"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for giving me an opportunity to contribute to this very important Bill. The basis has been that quite a number of Kenyans, really suffered especially with the advent of devolution and coming up of new counties when they did works for the counties, for example, constructing roads and buildings. We have even dealt with a matter here where a contractor had gone to start building a county headquarters and some problems cropped up. Many businessmen went in with a lot of hope when new counties came. Unfortunately, there were so many complications. Many people upon finishing the work, were never paid and in many cases, resorted to extortion by brokers pretending that they will help process the payments. I am aware of businessmen and women who had done roads for the counties and followed up the money for so long that they eventually gave up. I am aware of people who did works for counties when they had a function that is coming up. The contractor was told to hurry up and that he or she will be paid. However, after the whole matter is done, the contractor was not paid. There were delays in spite of some of them taking loans from banks. The banks ended up auctioning those contractors while they were waiting. As a result of these, some of them have gone bankrupt and developed diseases like high blood pressure because of going through a lot of stress. Many of them died leaving their families in poverty and unable to claim because of succession issues. Therefore, this is a very important Bill. However, there are a few things I want to point out as a lawyer. When somebody gets a judgment in court, it is very different from what this Bill is trying to address. There is something called Government Proceedings Act which makes it very difficult for anybody who has a claim against the Government to sue it. Even if you sue and get a judgment, you have to go through a very long process through the Office of the Attorney-General to be compensated. You are totally unable to auction the Government. That is one of the issues that have been addressed in this. Even when you have judgment against county governments or individuals, this Bill, to me, seems like it is addressing Government’s pending bills in general. This is because the others are contracts which people can sort out. If, for example, an institution had given a contractor the construction of certain buildings like a college or even a university, it will still fall under this category. A lot of times, they enjoy perpetual succession and are suable bodies under the law. This is"
}