HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 248628,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/248628/?format=api",
"text_counter": 141,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Ms. Karua",
"speaker_title": "The Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs",
"speaker": {
"id": 166,
"legal_name": "Martha Wangari Karua",
"slug": "martha-karua"
},
"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to remind hon. Members, and also the Mover of this Motion, that every hon. Member of Parliament is entitled to approach any of the Departmental or Parliamentary Committees even when you are not a member to give your ideas. Therefore, the Mover and any other hon. Member who feels that they have ideas which could help in the war against corruption in this country can and should approach the relevant Committees of Parliament, give their ideas and read the reports that these Committees are giving to Parliament and enable us to move forward in this war against corruption. In other words, I am simply saying this: This proposed Select Committee will not add any value. Though well intentioned, it will just duplicate what is already being done by other committees of Parliament. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, look at its proposed membership. One of them is the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Why do you want to take a very busy Chair of the PAC to sit in yet another committee? We know that the Chair of the PAC and his team are doing sterling work, including work that is helping in the fight against corruption. We remember recently they gave us a report on the Anglo Leasing affair. Now that the Minister for Finance has given the Auditor and Controller-General's report on the 18 related contracts, we expect the Chair of the PAC and his team to be very busy looking into those matters so that they may report to Parliament. Is it fair then to start asking the Chair of the PAC to go to another committee duplicating the very work that his committee does? Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would say the same of the Public Investments Committee (PIC). They too make their report to Parliament. When you ask a busy Chair of the PIC to then be a key member in a committee that is duplicating its work, are you adding value or creating bureaucracy? I want to appeal to hon. Members that we appreciate everybody's feeling of frustration that we are not covering as much ground as we should in the war against corruption, but I want every hon. Member and Kenyan to ask themselves: What have you contributed yourself to this war? Are you just lamenting that the Government is doing nothing while you, yourself, are perpetuating corruption? Are you one of those who are obstructing corruption trials in the courts of law? Are you one of those who are encouraging people with illegally acquired land not to surrender 1040 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES May 31, 2006 it? Are you one of those who are claiming that when one is put under investigation, that they are being harassed? Are you one of those demanding or giving bribes? When you say that the war on graft is not moving and yet we are not moving at a good speed, it is because you as an individual and a member of this august House have not made your contribution. If we all make a concerted effort we shall realise the results that we want. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am, therefore, saying that the answer does not lie with unnecessarily creating too many bureaucracies and layers of institutions of committees superimposing a Select Committee on top of several existing Departmental Committees dealing with the issue. That is totally unhelpful. What will be helpful is each hon. Member of this House and each Kenyan becoming committed in the fight against corruption, and all of us pooling our efforts together. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to repeat that any hon. Member of Parliament wishing to contribute to the efficiency of the anti-corruption institutions can do so either directly or through the existing Departmental Committees, starting with the Departmental Committee on Administration of Justice and Legal Affairs, PAC, PIC and any other forums, but it will not help at all to create unnecessary tiers of committees other than encouraging waste of the very public funds we are talking about. Another committee will not only duplicate efforts, but will also utilise even more money instead of being helpful in the war against corruption. It would also create confusion. To whom will the institutions fighting against corruption be reporting? Are they going to cease reporting to the Departmental Committee on Administration of Justice and Legal Affairs and now start reporting to the new Select Committee? This is adding confusion instead of strengthening the war against corruption. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to remind hon. Members that this very Motion had been brought to Parliament last year in 2005, and it was defeated. The Motion has come in exactly the same form. I am urging hon. Members to be guided by the good sense that guided them when this Motion was defeated and throw it out, not because we do not as a Parliament support the war against graft, but because we will be admitting that Parliament already has a dynamic committee dealing with the issue which we all as hon. Members can take our views to, and that there are other two committees, the PIC and PAC which also do similar work. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to admit that there is more that we can do to help the war against graft. Some of the measures we can take as Parliamentarians is agreeing to have a citizen's charter; a sort of code of regulations where we, Parliamentarians, commit ourselves that this is the manner in which we shall conduct ourselves in service delivery, because I want to say that without revocation that Parliamentarians, being part of this society, we too are affected by corruption and corrupt practices. Who is going to watch over Parliament? Let us put our House in order. Let us make suggestions of ridding corruption out of Parliament and then we can be a better watchdog and be able to look after other institutions. Those are some of the measures that hon. Members can contribute to. It does not need any law. It just needs a resolution by hon. Members that we agree to adopt a charter of a minimum set of rules and regulations that we must observe as hon. Members of Parliament. This will enable us to---"
}