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{
"id": 253515,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/253515/?format=api",
"text_counter": 187,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Awori",
"speaker_title": "The Vice-President and Minister for Home Affairs",
"speaker": {
"id": 290,
"legal_name": "Moody Arthur Awori",
"slug": "moody-awori"
},
"content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is plain from the Committee's findings that Mr. Githongo first knew of this contract on the 3rd of March, 2004, exactly three months after the contract had been signed. It had been signed on 4th of December, 2003. When he came to know about the contract, already Kshs90 million had been paid. Furthermore, Mr. Githongo informed me of this discovery on the 10th of March, 2003, already three months and seven days after the contract had been signed. He came to lunch at my house on the 4th of May, 2004 exactly five months after the contract had been signed. In the face of this, it is indeed, very wrong, unfair and malicious for the Committee to state that I had been warned by Mr. Githongo before the signing and that I participated in the implementation of the contract, when in their own findings, they find that Mr. Githongo was not even aware of this until three months after it had been signed. For record purposes, I wish to state quite clearly that Mr. Githongo, in fact, first talked to me about this only after I had made my Ministerial Statement in this House on the 27th of April, 2004. Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is further stated in the Report on page 43 that there is abundant evidence on record that the Vice-President and Minister for Home Affairs was, contrary to his evidence before the Committee, sufficiently involved in the implementation of Anglo Leasing contract as to take responsibility for its shortcomings. This statement is without foundation. After my above memo to the Permanent Secretary on the 8th of September, the contract was signed in December, 2003 without ever having been referred to me. The Report does not contain any 488 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES April 18, 2006 allegation, let alone evidence, that I took any action or participated in any way in the implementation of the project. In the absence of any such evidence, the accusation levelled against me appears to be very malicious and without foundation. I was never involved in the implementation of the contract, because, having given directions as to how it should be done, nothing else ever came to me. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to also touch a little on something on page 44, where it is stated that the Vice-President and Minister for Home Affairs did not make any effort to defend his Principal Immigration Officer. The Principal Immigration Officer was not transferred because of this particular issue. Secondly, the Principal Immigration Officer was a senior officer with whom I worked in a very friendly manner. He is a person I admired. He was transferred just like any other officer. Mr. Githongo was not a trained investigator. He was an advisor to the President. So, really, I find it odd that his conclusions can be accepted against anyone else. The Members of the Committee want to refuse to accept the statements from three Members of Parliament and the Head of Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, but they are very happy to accept Mr. Githongo's word. Mr. Githongo is not credible. That is what I have to say. Mr. Speaker, Sir, it has been stated here that a case has been established against me. But what case has been established against me? The HANSARD that I have read clearly states that I did not mislead this House. I did not say that the Government had entered into a contract with a lease finance company. I did not defend the Anglo Leasing and Finance Company. I was not reckless and at no time did I say that Anglo Leasing and Finance was a reputable company. I fulfilled my mandate as a Minister under Section 22 (3) of the Constitution, when I gave specific instructions to the line Permanent Secretary who, under the same sub-section, is clearly made the supervisor of the the Ministry I headed. Mr. Githongo could not have warned me about the Anglo Leasing Finance and Company contract, since it was in December, 2003 and he was not aware of it until March, 2004. Equally, Mr. Githongo could not have warned me about this contract during the lunch in my house in May,2004, because the contract had already been signed five months earlier. So, how was I completely involved in the implementation of this contract? I have not seen any evidence other than a conjecture without any supporting evidence or foundation. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to move to the page referring to Ambassador Muthaura, because he is not here and so he cannot speak for himself. Page 47 states that Ambassador Muthaura misled the country by putting an advertisement in the Press. However, he was not speaking for himself. As the Head of the Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, he was acting for the Government. It is further stated here that he did that without consulting Mr. John Githongo. Obviously, Mr. Githongo was an advisor to the President and he had nothing to do with this issue. Ambassador Muthaura was in full control and that was why he issued that statement. The other point that has been brought against Ambassador Muthaura is that he stated quite clearly that the Government had stopped all payments, while, indeed, one or two other payments were continuing. Only one payment was made after Ambassador Mathaura's statement. This happened after the Permanent Secretary, Treasury, gave a clearance for it, because the postal system was to be cut off. In order to keep the country still connected, an exemption was given. That is the only time when further payments were made after Ambassador Muthuara had stated that the payments had been stopped. Therefore, really, to condemn Ambassador Muthaura on that, is very unfair."
}