HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 232888,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/232888/?format=api",
"text_counter": 371,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Omingo",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 180,
"legal_name": "James Omingo Magara",
"slug": "omingo-magara"
},
"content": "However, I have information that it is now known as \"GNU\" which stands for \"Government of National Unity\", but I do appreciate the fact that there is a lot of confusion and I wish to move on nonetheless. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, apart from taking evidence, the Committee also visited various projects to obtain first hand information on other status and make appropriate recommendations on the same. We visited Loitokitok border post; a terrible thing which no Kenyan would want to see but yet again on the Kenyan soil. We visited Shimoni Customs Office which is another terrible white elephant where Kenyans' funds have been sunk and I want to say here that the same people who sunk some of this money in this particular white elephant project are now being recycled back into the Government. It is very unfortunate but nonetheless, it is an evil we must address ourselves to as of now. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the observations of the Committee on the projects visited are contained in the specific audit queries, which I will also elaborate on shortly. All the recommendations contained in this Report were arrived at by consensus after thorough deliberations and consultations. These recommendations, therefore, need to be implemented without the fear of victimising anybody. I want to confirm to this House that the particular Committee was God-fearing. We used to start and conclude our deliberations with prayers, which used to be presided over by Archbishop Ondiek. Our general observations include expenditure control: The Committee noted with great concern that during the year 1998/99, excess expenditure incurred without parliamentary approval amounted to K£17 million, which is the equivalent of more than Kshs35 million. The excess votes were incurred by various Ministries and Departments. It is important that Ministries/Departments and Accounting Officers appreciate the fact that it is illegal to spend public funds without Parliament's approval. However, during the period under review, it was the norm rather than the exception for Accounting Officers to incur expenditure on projects for which there was no budgetary allocation and have the bills paid in the subsequent financial year. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the State House was particularly notorious for spending public finances without parliamentary approval. State House would sometimes renovate what was not renovatable. At times, there would be no renovations done but contractors would seek payment. The State House had an excess vote of more than K£572,000, which is more than Kshs20 million. The House will recall that the Budget used to be prepared in Kenya Pounds. One Kenyan Pound is the equivalent of Kshs20. Second to incur an excess vote was the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, in this case, there was some justification in the sense that the Ministry was paying salaries in foreign currencies when its Budget was in local currency. However, we cannot excuse the Ministry for its failure to anticipate foreign exchange losses or gains. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it is critical that the Government appoints people who can provide value and relevance to Ministries. Saying that you were forced to incur an excess vote because you did not factor into the Ministry's Budget, foreign exchange loss or gain, is not an excuse. The other day, somebody joked that some senior Government officers cannot even shut down a computer. He said that if you use a computer to your satisfaction and then ask them to shut November 28, 2006 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3991 it down for you, they will run away. We are talking about putting value and relevance to particular positions. I am informed that even some Ministers look at a computer as a small television set that has no pictures. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, another Ministry which spent more than its Budgetary provision was the then Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry."
}