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"id": 176501,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Midiwo",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I stand to support this Bill. It has been pending before this House for about four years. I want to congratulate Mr. Mbau for being so passionate about this Bill. The intentions of the Bill are good. I also want to congratulate the person who originally thought that this was a good idea, Mr. Oloo-Aringo, who tried fruitlessly to convince the Government this was a good move for the country. This Bill has been called many names such as \"unconstitutional\", \"unwarranted\" and so on, just because it irritated the Executive, and more so, the Ministry of Finance. Initially, this Bill was supposed to be called The Budget Bill or the Budget Committee Bill. It is now called the Fiscal Analysis Bill, because the word \"Budget\" irritated so much the mandarins at the Treasury, because they thought all the budgeting power was leaving them. No country can ever progress without putting in place a budgetary process that has checks and balances. That is the duty of Parliament. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the issue of allocation of resources in our country is the sticking point. In fact, the reason of being a president or a Minister in this country, is so sweet because when people get those positions, they think they will help their tribesmen. This is the only way to stop the Government from misappropriating resources just to please tribes and tribesmen. We have gone through this thing for such a long time. Even just as recently as last week, at least, two Cabinet Ministers said this Bill is unconstitutional. One of those who was opposed to it is now out of office. So, he has, at least, been quiet. We were told to withhold it, because the Government had a parallel Bill. Of course, this is because the Treasury wanted to have the opportunity of putting some pork barrel into some white elephants during the budgeting process. Even in the current Budget, which we passed recently, there is a fictitious company called \"Kenren.\" It is a fictitious company which is supposed to be a producer of fertilizer. In the current Budget, it was allocated Kshs400 million. I can assure you that if the law we are seeking to enact through this Bill was in place, and the Budget was being scrutinised by the Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Lands and Natural Resources nothing would have been allocated to this company. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is very bad. Right now, the Government is trying to buy into De la Rue outside the law. It is the Government paying De la Rue. I wonder in which country the Government should be paying a money maker. Money should come from De la Rue to the Government, and not the other way round. This is happening because many people think that those deals should not go through scrutiny. 3898 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES December 4, 2008 One thing which this country should reject is this deal about De la Rue. It fits in the same place as the deal of the sale of Grand Regency Hotel. This Parliament should never allow a corrupt deal to go through outside the procurement and the privatisation laws when people are seeing. We, as a country, should never condone such thing to happen. I know that with the passage of this Bill, such will be things of the past. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in the last financial year, our estimates collections was Kshs480 billion. The cost of Government alone was Kshs400 billion. So, this House should be given authority to deny unnecessary allocations to Ministries. We, as Parliament, need to change the procurement laws. Why would Parliament, for instance, as an institution, procure a ball point pen when you can walk into Uchumi Supermarket and buy one for Kshs10? The procurement laws provide for a tender to be given to the lowest bidder. So, Parliament could end up buying a ball point pen for Kshs400. Why would the Ministry of Finance, which is the Budget originator, be put through that kind of law, so that a few brokers can make money? So, all expenditure by the Government must be scrutinised and allowed by the people's representatives. That is how it happens in all modern world democracies. This time round, Parliament must play its role. We must insist that, we, as the people's representatives, must have a say in the Budget making process. There is no way out other this. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Office of the Controller and Auditor-General, either in Switzerland or Great Britain, it is an office within Parliament. That is one change we must make! Right now, the Office of the Controller and Auditor-General works as if it is a branch of the Executive. The Kenya National Audit Office (KENAO) is an independent body. If you go to the House of Parliament in England, you will find that country's equivalent of KENAO is right there, so that Parliamentarians can reach it."
}