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"content": "no loss at all. Now, the last payment that was made – 483 million pieces that were printed in the year 2010 – was to cover the period 2011/2012. This was going to be printed anyway with or without the new generation currency, because the new generation currency contract was only going to run for three years. In any case, come the year 2010 we changed the design of our currency by saying that no currency will have portraits of anyone, which means that even if the new generation currency was to succeed, it was going to only work for three years and come the new Constitution, we needed a new one. So, I can confirm that there is no loss. I am an accountant and have had people looking at it and they have confirmed that, in fact, there is no loss. But the good thing is that we have saved 301 jobs or whatever number. We have brought into the country – confirmed by De La Rue themselves – an upward value of Kshs5 billion plus. If you look at the multiplier effect, everyone who works at De La Rue has a family and child and they spend. They go to the local kiosks. The multiplier effect of that money is greater than even the loss that we are being told. So, having agreed that there was no loss then, perhaps, the first recommendation flies straight in the face, that, indeed, there is nothing to investigate. Even if there was to be an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission, bring us those figures and we will argue it out in court. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the second recommendation is that we are not fit to hold public office. I found it rather strange that we are saying “investigate” on one hand and then on the other hand, saying “we have already condemned you anyway, you are not fit to hold public office.” As Parliament, are we really a House for legislation or have we turned ourselves into a Judiciary, to start passing judgment, including on ourselves? This is a dangerous precedent that we need to guard against, especially having gotten a new Constitution. Article 47 is very clear that fair administrative action must be provided for. Article 50 is very clear and the separation of duties between the respective Houses. So, like I said, there was no loss and nobody has shown that I benefitted at all from this contract. In fact, the Government saved a lot of money from this, like we have demonstrated. We saved jobs. I acted in the best interest and saved a crisis. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we all know what happened in 2007/2008. We also know what happened in 2007. There was a lot of talk that there was a lot of money entering into our circulation from piracy and all that. Now, had we then allowed production of new money in 2007, we could have compounded the crisis that we witnessed, because 2007 was a unique election. So, I acted in the best interest of this country and expected accolades and not condemnation. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other issue that has been brought here is that there was the issue of the procurement law being flouted. The procurement law is very clear in terms of when you can do single-sourcing. In all these things the Auditor-General is saying that all those tender prices and interim orders are approved by the tender committee of Central Bank, Central Bank Board and Treasury. Who else was expected to approve them to make them legitimate? Those are the institutions that are set up by the law and so, there was nothing wrong. If the ones during Kimunya’s time were wrong, then the ones during Mwiraria’s time would even have been more wrong. This is because at that point even the amounts are worse. But if you find that one is right, then all must be right and if one is wrong then all must be wrong. Those contradictions are what are creating the issue that there, perhaps, is more of double standard than bringing out the facts. So, the four conditions that have to be met are very clear within the law and I can confirm to this House that all those were actually met."
}