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{
    "id": 1334222,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1334222/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 135,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Kipchumba Murkomen",
    "speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 440,
        "legal_name": "Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen",
        "slug": "kipchumba-murkomen"
    },
    "content": "Appropriations Committee of the National Assembly. Notably, appropriations under the development vote are project-specific. Once Parliament approves, the Ministry stands guided and instructed to implement the same. The initial budget allocation proposal for the development vote is generated by agencies of the Ministry, taking into account the following parameters: top priority is given to the completion of on-going projects, which is a requirement under the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act, 2012; availability of physical space for new projects; government policies and strategic directions concerning infrastructure development, taken together with technical and economic feasibility and equity and regional balance. I wish Hon. Members can help me appreciate this point. This is because it is the cause of too many questions that come to my office privately, are generated by Members of Parliament in this Chamber, or addressed by Members in the public square. This is another category of projects that come about as a result of constitutional imperatives and public participation as guided by Parliament. Those projects are implemented by KeRRA, largely without modification to the priorities selected and approved by Parliament. Through this distinguished House, I hope to make it clear to the public that such projects are entirely consistent with fairness and due process. They should not be ascribed to any deficit of equitable allocation of projects by KeRRA. Turning to the tender notice published by KeRRA… Hon. Speaker, later I will speak on the issue of public participation projects that are appropriated every year by Parliament, including how much was appropriated this financial year and how this has become a matter of immense contention despite the fact that Hon. Members of this House approve those resources. Turning to the tender notice published by KeRRA on 29th September 2023, serious misunderstanding and misinterpretation appeared in various fora. I am grateful for this opportunity to set the record straight for this distinguished House. Let me mention five key points that misled the public when the tender notice was taken in isolation as evidence of iniquity. First, the tender contained projects based on termination and re-tendering. In implementing various development vote projects, KeRRA encountered a number of non- performing contractors. After repeated attempts to revive the affected projects, it failed. So, it was found necessary to terminate the said projects. Permission was obtained from the Attorney- General to wind up the projects and conduct fresh tendering to enable the continuation. For the avoidance of doubt, there are other similar terminated projects for which replacement of contractors will be sought through open tenders in the future. Second is the inclusion of public participation projects identified and approved by Parliament. Before, they were handed over to KeRRA for implementation, at which point the tenders were advertised. Extraction of public participation projects from the procurement notice without the background and origin being made clear and using the same in comparison with projects that are funded by other sources leads to invalid conclusions. The projects are distributed across the country in line with the principle of public participation and other constitutional imperatives that are considered and determined by this House. The question as to whether this is just, fair, or equitable is not better answered by the Cabinet Secretary. Indeed, it is better answered by this House. Hon. Mbui is a distinguished leader of two terms in this House. He has a better answer than me or any other person. In fact, since the Budget is itemised to specific roads, the Ministry or its agencies cannot for sure establish where the roads are located through Question Time. Hon. Speaker, for the last five years, the funds distributed by this House through those mechanisms are in the knowledge of this House. Therefore, I would like to say for this Financial Year, this very Chamber, this very House, budgeted a total of Ksh21 billion, which is far higher 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"
}