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"speaker_name": "Mr. Omingo",
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"legal_name": "James Omingo Magara",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am trying to explain why it is not risky to conduct corrupt business. This is because when you are held, you are released. I was giving you an example of the police officers who were being arrested by the members of the public and November 29, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 4061 taken to the cells then they were received with golden gloves by their colleagues and set free. This is lack of punitive measures for graft. If we were to penalise people in good time, we could succeed. If it had started coming down, we would be safer now. But I think the tempo went down. The fuse of graft was reconnected in April, 2003 and things started happening. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to wind up by saying one or two things regarding the management of our accounts. When we were going through the records of the PAC, it was recommended that we needed to go e-commerce or e-government. We asked that our system be computerised to the extent that we have an on-line system where when you procure, you are supposed to have your results almost instantly and when you press a button, you have your trial balance so as to prepare accounts quickly. There is a company that was supposed to computerise Customs Department called Computer Applications Ltd. They \"ate\" from the Government. They brought \"shells\" of computers which were gathering dust in the pretext of computerising Government. Treasury itself wants to remain manual so that if there is a transaction that is moving with speed, they stop it and change its course. Computer Applications Ltd, a company that was banned from supplying computers to the Government is now a good boy again. Mr. Temporary Deputy, Speaker, Sir, we need to respect this Parliament by implementing the reports of PAC. It is a gesture of honour. We make the reports and the Executive is supposed to implement them. It is criminal that we are burdening unborn children with Kshs32,000 in debt as soon as they are born. These are public debts incurred irregularly. I hope hon. Michuki, who is here, will tell his colleagues that this country is bigger than one regime or individual. If you do not implement PAC Reports now, and I am not threatening anybody, you cannot sit on the truth; it will germinate in whichever way and it does not matter the time it will take to germinate. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, there is the issue of Eldoret International Airport. Again, there was no feasibility study. Somebody gave private land, like they usually do, and procure it. Like I am told some people are now speculating on areas where we may strike oil. They are now gathering several thousands of acres of land at Ksh100 per acre. Of course, being a government state land you can also be given, if you are politically correct. So, somebody did the same. He speculated. He took the airport there for construction and it was done on private land. I am sure this was later compensated at a substantial premium. We require to be sensible people and respect those who have elected us. Finally, I want to pay tribute to hon. Peter Oloo-Aringo who brought the issue of Parliamentary Budget Office which may, in its operation line, oversee these issues, so that we do not guillotine. We cannot, for example, guillotine the Vote of the Ministry of Agriculture, which is the backbone of our economy. Parliamentarians need to interrogate the Budget before it is read. It is also important that we appoint people into authority who understand what they are doing. Some Accounting Officers were so desperate to give us answers which they did not even understand. I am saying, for Heaven's sake, can we favour somebody who is competent, if we have to favour to avoid double tragedy. You have somebody who is appointed through nepotism and he is incompetent. That is double tragedy. It is important that the Government is accountable to the public. This is like a limited company where you give value for money given. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those few remarks I beg to move and request the Shadow Minister for Finance, Mr. Billow, to second this Motion."
}