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"id": 196576,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Chanzu",
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"legal_name": "Yusuf Kifuma Chanzu",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to support the Accountants Bill. The Bill has come at a very opportune time considering the rate at which the country is supposed to be growing now. It is high time we had many more accountants who can keep records of whatever financial transactions we do, be it in Government or private institutions. Considering the history of accounting, I am sure it must have started at the level of bookkeeping and the like However, by the growth and complexities of transactions that we have got involved in, it is necessary that at this level, we have a Bill such as this one which will be transformed into an Act which can then regulate and control the performance of accountants. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the publishing of this Bill and the Act that it is going to be transformed into, is going to be a big motivator to those who aspire to join the profession as accountants and for those already in the profession. This is because it forms some kind of April 16, 2008 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 513 benchmark and guidelines on the basis of which the professionals will be performing. In that case, it shows a road map. It is easier for a person to understand what profession he is joining and what the consequences of some of the actions they take as professionals are. So, it acts as a motivator. Those people who want to aspire to be accountants and those who are already accountants will know very well what is expected of them through the Act. The other thing which is important in this Bill is that, apart from putting together all the aspects of accounts or the way accounts have been handled, it is also going to create clarity such that the professionals in accounting and those who aspire to be accountants will know what is expected of them. The other point I would like to say is that, as a motivator, other professions like engineering, quantity surveying, architecture, medicine and so on have already had Acts of Parliament to which they refer. When it comes to engagement of consultants in the profession, it is very easy to form a basis of engagement because you know the standards of the calibre of professionals you want and how to remunerate them. So, you will not have a problem. At the moment, we have shoddy services being provided by quacks. They undercut in order to get work, but at the end of the day, they are unable to perform. However, I am sure with this Bill and consequently the Act, it is going to be easier to engage professional accountants and know how to remunerate them. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other issue is about the professionalism that this Bill is going to bring. First, it is about academic standards. Second, it is about the entry of those who are going to practise and third, the level of practising standards. I am sure that is covered well in the Bill. The other thing which I see as important for those who aspire to be accountants and those who are already in the profession, is that it will be possible for those who are in Public Service and private sector to have some Schemes of Service which will, among other things. form the bases for recruiting and training those who wish to serve as accountants. The other is that it will help eradicate bad practices. Some of the previous speakers have talked about corruption. It will enable us to get rid of the bad practices that we have witnessed through the profession Finally, a point was raised here about the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF). From some of the experiences that some of us have, we have not had, and up to now we do not have, capacity. I do not think even the appointed CDF Managers have the capacity to manage whatever they are supposed to manage. Furthermore there is lack of capacity to audit what has been spent. I am appealing that we all support this Bill, so that, in the long-term, we can have qualified accountants to be able manage the Constituency Development Funds. Members of Parliament get into trouble with the funds because we do not have qualified people to manage the CDF properly. An issue was raised about what happened in Trans Nzoia District, where a CDF Manager was murdered because of questioning about the whereabouts of CDF funds. If we had enough capacity of professionalism in that place, that would not have happened. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}