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{
    "id": 1445769,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1445769/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 163,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Mungatana EGH",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "This Report by our very able Chairperson, Sen. Roba, states that the mandate of the Standing Committee on Finance and Budget is extracted from Article 124(1) of the Constitution, which provides for the establishment of committees. The Committee is supposed to examine policy issues, scrutinise county governments' expenditures, examine legislation proposals and produce a report. Again, that report says that the Senate Committee on Finance and Budget is established under the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act 2016, Public Finance Act 2012 and the Standing Order No.228 of the Senate Standing Orders. One of the things that this Finance and Budget Committee is supposed to do is to scrutinise how the funds are utilised in the various county governments. It is not just the Finance and Budget Committee. We have also the County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee (CPISF) chaired by Sen. Osotsi and the County Public Accounts Committee (CPAC) chaired by Sen. M. Kajwang’. We have been making very serious recommendations that come from the reports of the OAG. There is a lot that committees in this Senate have been doing in reporting misuse and mismanagement of funds that are allocated under the Equitable Share and also those raised from own source revenue from county governments. There is the mechanism in the Senate and the National Assembly in oversighting of the national Government. Governors come, give explanations on audit queries, and then they go away. The fact that young people went to the streets and raised questions about the mechanism means that it has been brought into question. Our Chairman of the CPAC of the Senate declares a whole county is a crime scene and needs investigation, but then we leave it there. Our people have been seeing these things on television. They have seen governors unable to explain themselves, yet the mechanism that we have does not force governors to take plea for misdeeds within their counties. When you visit CPAC, you will see that there are members from the Auditor General’s office and a representative from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), but no action is taken. Governors come and ask for time. I have attended a session for Tana River County, where the Chairperson said that if it were in another jurisdiction, the county team would be staying in the cells waiting for police action. In our jurisdiction, in our system of oversight, the governors come, several times, explain themselves and are given more time. The Auditor General now is even a very frustrated person. Our young people are asking what the consequences of mismanaging these funds are. This is a question that we need to look at as Senate. This mandate of Article 124(1) of the Constitution is not effective because if these managers of our resources in the counties are coming and going and no consequences are visited upon them, it means the committee system in Kenya is not working. We need to relook at this committee system to see if it is an oversight of the county governors and if there are any consequences of misuse of county government funds. If you look at the OAG report, you will see that some county governments have over 300 accounts. My county has 34 accounts. Other counties have been mentioned with 200 accounts, 100 accounts and more than that against the rules of the PFM Act, and yet, no consequences. You write to the relevant authorities, no consequences. This country, through the demonstrations that have taken place, is asking for a new culture. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only.A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and Audio Services,Senate."
}