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{
    "id": 1408791,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1408791/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 239,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. M. Kajwang’",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13162,
        "legal_name": "Moses Otieno Kajwang'",
        "slug": "moses-otieno-kajwang"
    },
    "content": "Paper, Members will be pleased to see that we have submitted reports for 10 county assemblies and 15 county executives. Mr. Temporary Speaker Sir, during the period, the committee has noted with concern the rising trend of witnesses failing to appear before the committee without justifiable reasons amounting to contempt of Parliament. The committee has flagged the governors of Isiolo and Nairobi City County Executives and has subsequently summoned them to appear before the Committee in April and May, respectively. This report was approved last week, but I am pleased to note that the Governor of Isiolo was compelled to appear before the committee yesterday. The committee also resolved to impose the maximum fine available under the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Act to purge the contempt of Parliament. If contempt of the Senate committees is not checked, other governors are likely to follow suit if it does not invite any serious consequences. The Senate should thus explore avenues through amendments of the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Act, 2017, to provide for stricter penalties, fines, imprisonment, or other punitive measures. Additionally, we have requested the legal directorate to do a paper on the concept of contempt of Parliament and also to share with the committee what other jurisdictions do to ensue enforcement of the directives of Parliament. Mr. Temporary Speaker Sir, the committee undertook a county visit to Isiolo in March for inspection of projects and interrogation of the Reports of the Auditor General for the financial years 2019/2020 and 2020/2021. However, the Governor failed to appear before the committee. As I said earlier, we issued summons and the governor appeared yesterday to explain himself. During project inspection, the committee observed that some of the projects, including the County Headquarters, Isiolo Stadium, Isiolo Market, Mwangaza Dispensary and the Isiolo Referral Hospital Mortuary had either stalled or taken longer than the planned period to complete and the some of the contractors were not on site. The committee directed the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to take keen interest on the implementation and projects, and further, the CoB to scrutinize the requisitions relating to the highlighted projects. I also note that when we were in Isiolo, we went to the mortuary and the coolers were not working. In as much as the county government explained that they were working before our visit, they were not able to demonstrate why they were not working during our visit. Mr. Temporary Speaker Sir, the committee continues to note with concern the unhealthy size and growth of wage bills in many of the counties, beyond the recommended 35 per cent threshold and processing of employee emoluments outside the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Database (IPPD). Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, payment outside the IPPD poses significant weaknesses for counties, since manual processes are often less transparent and more prone to corruption. Individuals responsible for payroll may manipulate records, create ghost employees, or inflate salaries to siphon county funds. Manual processing of salaries results in loss of audit trails and accountability mechanisms integral in automated information systems since it is difficult verify transactions or hold individuals accountable for discrepancies in salary payments. This The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}