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{
    "id": 1556466,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1556466/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 124,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Mungatana, MGH",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "sourced and brought around, so that we can help our people. However, most of the times our parliaments, including the Kenyan parliament, are left out of the process of procurement. We are left out. In fact, we do not play part in any process. We do not do this at the risk of a lot of our resources being wasted. It is not just in Kenya, but in the entire Great Lakes region. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am glad those who attended, picked up this issue. The issue of oversight on resources is critical. This is because when we pass the budgets in our various parliaments, especially the equitable share here in the Senate, it is given to governors. We do not have an opportunity to oversight these funds that we put for emergency. We are just told 1,000 bags of maize or 20,000 cooking oil jars were bought and stuff like that was done. The emergency procurement laws were not put in place because it was an emergency. When they do emergency procurement, this is where people have been creating climate change millionaires. These people tend to pick certain preferred individuals. Procurement is done in such a way that the role of parliament is reduced. The role of county assembly is reduced. The executive then gets a free hand. They say, people are dying. So, we need emergency procurement. That is where you will hear that a bag of maize is costing five times the normal cost. So, this resolution that we must find a way to oversight within the Great Lakes region and within Kenya is a critical thing. We must find a way to oversight the resources that are allocated for climate change mitigation and adaptation. I wished that the conference would have gone as far as setting up a committee to look at potential model laws that we could develop within the Great Lakes region. I say so because you will find the oversight laws in Tanzania and South Sudan are different from the oversight of Angola or Zambia. All these members have the same intention, but do not have a uniformed approach towards oversight of resources that are being placed at the disposal of our various executives to deal with climate mitigation measures. This needs to be done like yesterday. Mr. Speaker, Sir, moving to peace and security of this region, all the time we sit as conference of parliaments within this Great Lakes region, we cannot avoid discussions on those issues. The best we can do is to practice what we call parliamentary diplomacy. My prayer is that the Great Lakes region Members of Parliament will promote more interaction and understanding within this region. Some of the members of the executive who are holding positions of power can realise that actually in Kenya you can be a president today after your two terms, you are out and about and nobody disturbs you and you will not be harmed by anyone. So, if Members of Parliament, members of the Executive can increase visitations and normalize these political things, then a lot of the worries and instabilities that are being caused may come to an end. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I take this opportunity as we debate this Report on the Great Lakes region to appeal from this House of the Senate that it is our wish to see that the South Sudan political crisis right now is resolved in an amicable way. As the Senate of Kenya, it is very uncomfortable when we hear our Vice-President has been held under restriction. It is our prayer that the political processes within not only the East African Region, but even of the Great Lakes region, can participate in bringing out stability in the region. I would say the same for the DRC. 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."
}