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{
    "id": 1378563,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1378563/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 219,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Funyula, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) Ojiambo Oundo",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "audited accounts of 2020/2021 to share revenue between the various levels of the Government; that is the national Government, Judiciary, Parliament as well as the county governments. Our Party Leader normally tells us that the most respected and sought-after Committee in the Commonwealth, and probably in most places in this world, is the Public Accounts Committee. He has a nostalgic view of when he sat in this Parliament and served as a member of the Public Accounts Committee. He always advises that you must make sure that the Executive trembles and fears Parliament through the Public Accounts Committee. As to whether we have met that threshold or not, is out there for everybody to tell. I sat in the Public Accounts Committee in the last Parliament. I am fortunate enough to sit again in this Parliament, and there are a few observations that our Chairman has covered extensively on the issues that we came across. As I second, I just want to just pick a few of them and probably re-emphasise and reiterate what he has stated here. One, it baffles me that a fully qualified accountant cannot keep proper books of accounts. Many a times, our Chairman thinks that I have something against the accounting profession. But I have never understood how a Certified Public Accountant of Kenya (CPA- K), with 15 years of experience, cannot undertake book and bank reconciliations or prepare a management account. They cannot even ensure that all the supporting documents such as the ledgers are available. It leads me to believe that it is wilful neglect or a convoluted process to conceal theft and perpetrate corruption. As I stand here, we must be very careful and be hard on individual chief finance officers and the chief accountants who falsely prepare accounts. They must be held personally liable. We must refer the matter to the relevant professional organisations to take stern action, probably even deregister them, and not allow them to hold professional and public offices. Hon. Temporary Speaker, it is interesting that they deliberately refuse or fail to give the auditors from the Office of the Auditor-General the documents required. Once you summon them before the Public Accounts Committee, they start to fumble around and give them to the Office of the Auditor-General. Occasionally, you will find the Office of the Auditor-General saying that the matter is resolved. Audit is a process. The Audit Act is very clear on the timelines and, therefore, if you fail to provide something at the end of the timeline, then it means that you have breached the provisions of the Audit Act as well as the Public Finance Management Act. This country is very rich and capable of running its affairs without having to go outside the country to beg or look for donors. This country can run its affairs without having to borrow any money. The Chairman has clearly stated that the court cases and the awards that are being given against the Government and penalties are mind-boggling. The amount that we pay through penalties as a result of court cases and delayed payments can run this country for a full financial year without having to go and ask for money elsewhere. In my view, this is by design. They delay to pay deliberately and tell the contractors: ‘‘ Wewe nyamazia tu hapo. Enda kortini . We will sort out the matter and you give us our cut’’. They negotiate and award contracts while knowing that they do not have money. In the same vein, the issue of unwarranted budget cuts under Supplementary I, II or even X does not make sense."
}