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"id": 1431867,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1431867/?format=api",
"text_counter": 241,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Seme, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) James Nyikal",
"speaker": null,
"content": "The third issue that comes up is the reluctance of public officers to heed to professional advice, particularly when it is a Presidential Directive. There is a propensity to say that a directive is presidential and that the President wants it to be done in a certain way. However, if you go into details of what is being quoted, even the private sector also enjoins in this narrative. They put very sharp time limits which makes it impossible to manage things. For instance, in this case, where did this issue of one month come from? You cannot give subsidy to a whole nation in one month. You need time to work out the processes and procedures. That is another lesson that we have learnt from this. In this particular case, they were advised by the Attorney-General, but they did not heed that advice. In my view, there was some collusion between the private sector and the public officers who were involved. There is no known remedy for a perfect collusion. All the people that are meant to guard the system are defrauding it. They give fake data on whatever is required and defraud the measures that are put in place. In this case, I think there was a great collusion whose impact was the loss of public money. The Committee has said that we lost up to Ksh7 billion, but worse still, people suffered. None of us can recall a single person who got that maize and yet, the money was spent. Apparently, the maize was milled and distributed, but where did it go? If we go by the general principles that are indicated in this Report, it will guide us. I, therefore, support the recommendations that have been put in place, particularly refusing to pay those who we suspect were overpaid or were part of the collusion."
}