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{
    "id": 1494255,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1494255/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 692,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Bumula, DAP-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Wanami Wamboka",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "only approve projects whose funding it can guarantee and whose completion is within the medium-term economic framework. The Committee further recommends that the said projects should only be approved after existing projects are completed to avoid the lumping of stalled projects in institutions. The policy should be: One project at a time. I want to report to this House that we are in the process of coming up with a law that will force both the National Treasury and the Ministry of Education to adhere to that policy together with the accounting officers. Fifth, is on expensive consultancies where accounting officers are syphoning public money. Notorious on the list is the State Department for Public Works. I do not understand why an engineer, architect or quantity surveyor who is employed and paid by the Government must use a Government car, fuel it, drive to a Government project and still be paid when they earn salaries. In fact, when they work for longer hours, they have extra allowances like overtime allowances. This must come to a stop. We want to work in consultation with the Departmental Committee on Housing, Urban Planning and Public Works to come up with a policy that will safeguard and deter such officers from syphoning public funds. The Committee recommends that the Ministry responsible for Public Works revamps the Public Works Department and employs adequate and competent staff. In most cases, leaders of those institutions do not go for public consultancies but private ones. Yes, the State Department for Public Works has problems. Those officers choose to go for very expensive consultancies. You wonder why? When you go to an institution, you are told that a certain project was to cost Ksh600 million but to date, they have paid consultants Ksh400 million. Initially, they were to be paid Ksh50 million. Where are we headed to as a nation? Moreover, certain technical institutions like the Kenya Technical Teaching College (KTTC) train on technical skills and can deliver Government projects, undertake technical training in public works related skills and assist in the management of those projects. In fact, technical training is offered by most institutions if not all, like Technical and Vocational Education and Training Institutes (TVET) or universities. Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and the University of Nairobi offer technical training. Why do they not use students who are almost completing their courses so that they can cut on the costs. The relevant Departmental Committee should consider amending the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act of 2015, so that the first priority is given to Government agencies that can provide certain services. I believe those services can be provided by them. We only need a framework on how they will operate. Sixth, is failure to adhere to gender, ethnicity, regional balance and other considerations. There is a lot of nepotism and tribalism in those institutions. You find an institution has an ethnicity ratio towards a dominant community in excess of 90 per cent. You wonder what the problem is. I was conversing with my brother who suffers wisdom because he has white hair. He told me that Meru University was collapsing. It had a Vice-Chancellor from Meru and after they appointed one from the Luo community, it is doing very well. Kenya Methodist University (KEMU) was doing very badly until they appointed a Vice-Chancellor from the Luhya community. There are many people who can be vice-chancellors, but we have to give the right people the job. We should stop nepotism and tribalism because it is killing this country. We appoint people who eat the profit, interest and capital. In my community we say: “Khulia nendechimawe” . You eat everything. Kula kuku na vifaranga . This is what we are experiencing. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}