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{
    "id": 1550059,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1550059/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 338,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Garissa Township, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Dekow Mohamed",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Another very important issue that was reported by the Chairman and addressed by my colleagues is pending bills. This is a very serious issue. Pending bills are affecting many businesses in this country. There must be a policy to ensure that no supply contracts are given to Kenyans unless money is available, and not necessarily budgeted for. We have seen budgets approved in this House based on work plans, but there is no liquid money to pay contractors and suppliers. Again, there is a tendency by MDAs to divert certain money to other projects that were not in the budget, in the hope that money will be allocated in subsequent budgets. Once that particular accounting officer leaves the office, there is no follow up for the money. The MDAs have so much pending bills but there is no money forthcoming from the National Treasury. My suggestion would be that until money is deposited with the MDAs, they should not advertise contracts or give go-ahead for the implementation of projects. In my constituency, there are three major projects at Garissa University. Students are learning under trees because there are no tuition blocks or adequate learning infrastructure. We are stuck. There is no value for our money. There are projects that are 30 per cent complete and have been paid for. The rest are not paid for. The President talked about the e-procurement programme in his last State of the Nation Address. All Government agencies must go through that process by putting their tender documents on that platform and the National Treasury should only release money to programmes that have gone through e-procurement. However, the MDAs have refused to implement the programme. The same applies to e-Citizen. The President himself is frustrated by bureaucrats. It looks like we are being shown the middle finger by Government officers. It is not only Parliament but also the Executive and the President. The issue of pending bills must be addressed, otherwise we are going to have a collapsed economy. Businesses can only generate taxes if they are functioning. The Government cannot demand payment of taxes and yet it has not paid for the services it has been provided. Withholding payments for goods and services rendered kills businesses and people. It sends others into depression. Hon. Temporary Speaker, with those few remarks, I support the Report. I ask the Committee to make a follow-up on these issues, especially the recommendations and observations. It should provide the Reports to the Departmental Committees, so that when we meet MDAs, we can tie their budget allocation to the queries raised by both the Auditor- General and PAC. It would be a waste of time if the Auditor-General keeps on bringing reports year-in, year-out, and nothing is implemented. It will be a waste of time for Hon. Tindi Mwale and Hon. Udgoon to sit in big hotels to draw up these reports and yet nothing comes out of them. Mheshimiwa Mwale and your team, congratulations for the good work that you have done. Please, follow up on this issue so that officers can be charged in court for not implementing or observing these recommendations."
}