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{
    "id": 182922,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/182922/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 162,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Mudavadi",
    "speaker_title": "The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 84,
        "legal_name": "Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi",
        "slug": "musalia-mudavadi"
    },
    "content": " Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, let me once again apologise for not having been here when the Question was asked the first time. However, I beg to reply. (a) Yes, it is true that the Clerk and the Treasurer are the sole signatories of the council funds. This is because the Local Government Act, Cap.265, sections 129 and 130 mandate them to be signatories to the council funds. Secondly, they are the chief officers or executives and finance officers as mandated by the above mentioned sections. Part III of the Third Schedule provides that the Treasurer shall be the accountant, the paymaster collector and financial advisor of the local authority. So, the law locks out other council officials from being signatories to the council funds. (b) The appointment of the Tender Committee is now governed by the Public Procurement and Disposal Act, 2005. This is why councillors are not members of the Tender Committee. My hands are tied in this particular respect and it may be necessary that the Public Procurement and Disposal Act be amended to allow for councillors to be part of the Tender Committee. (c) Through the LASDAP process, my Ministry has directed the following steps to be undertaken by all local authorities:- Local communities should appoint representative committees which should choose projects ranging from health, water, infrastructure and education, which are all aimed at alleviating poverty. They should undertake advertisements at the local level and also source labour and materials locally. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, in the same guidelines, community contracting is being encouraged. Local authorities can contract communities through the Labour Contract, Labour and Material Contract and even Complete Contract. This entails the awarding of the overall implementation management of the project to a qualified community organisation which has a proven track record and is registered. My Ministry, through Circular No.5 which was issued in 2008 to all local authorities, also requires that they provide, in their respective budgets, an allocation equivalent to 20 per cent of the total LATF allocation to support core poverty programmes, projects and activities aimed at reducing poverty within the local area."
}