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{
    "id": 1393834,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1393834/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 264,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Olekina",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 407,
        "legal_name": "Ledama Olekina",
        "slug": "ledama-olekina"
    },
    "content": "I want to reiterate that monitoring of borrowing is important. Even though right now we have managed to reduce it to 67 per cent of the GDP. Our GDP is a moving target; therefore, it can go up to 80 per cent. If that is the case, we will be in serious debt. It is imperative that we try to create a good environment for doing business. I will be happy if county governments pay their debts when they are due. Right now, we are talking about a deficit of about Kshs739 billion. If you look at county governments combined, they owe about Kshs117 billion. We need to be diligent in analysing budget performances. This idea of relying on the Auditor-General to give us financial statements that give us opinions such as adverse or qualified does not give us a clear picture of how funds are being spent. How do you explain why a county like Nairobi City County can have pending bills amounting to Kshs103 billion in 10 years of devolution? How do you explain a county like Narok owing about Kshs1.5 billion, yet it is one of the leading counties in terms of own source revenue? We need to change. As we bring amendments to the PFM Act, we need to look at how we can put punitive measures to ensure that we control this issue of pending in the county governments. Mr. Temporary Speaker, with all those few remarks, I support and hope that we will effectively monitor our mid-term management of debts of this country."
}