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"content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we are aware that the Senate does not have a very elaborate way in which we can oversee the use of funds in the counties. Therefore, we want to urge that the Committee on Finance, Commerce and Economic Affairs be the vehicle which we are going to use to oversight utilization of funds in the counties. This Committee should continue to be active and assist us to oversee these funds. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the Public Finance Management Act is, perhaps, the most elaborate and detailed Act that I have seen in the entire laws of this country. I think that this is an area which the Senate can use to monitor the funds, by insisting that the Public Finance Management Act be implemented to the letter. I would want, therefore, to use the Floor of this House to warn the governors, that if we implement the Public Finance Management Act to the letter, there is a risk that some of the governors will be behind bars by the end of five years. We will have no regrets about that, because we are so concerned about the success of this process called devolution, which we have started. We would not want to lose it for some misdemeanor or action by some officer who has been dealing with this. Therefore, this House will insist that the Public Finance Management Act be applied to the letter when it comes to safeguarding the funds to be used in the counties, even if it means holding responsible some of the officers who are dealing with this. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the “ministers” for finance in most counties are the most culpable individuals. This is because, first of all, they are doing these things for the first time. Secondly, there are new processes which are coming in for the application of the use of the funds, for example, the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS). It is a system that we are going to apply and use. It is new for everybody including those “ministers” for finance. It is, therefore, important that the executive committee members in charge of finance, who are going to be in charge of these funds in the counties, read thoroughly the Public Finance Management Act, which actually stipulates in a section which I cannot quote now, that even if you are given verbal orders by the governor and you spend the monies for the county without following the law, it is the executive committee member in charge of finance who will go to jail. So, it is very important that we give these warnings right away from the Senate here; that these monies are going to be looked at very thoroughly using the laws that exist in the land. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I commend the governors and also the officers who are going to assist dutifully and honestly and with due respect for the state and public, apply the monies correctly. If we do that, we will succeed with devolution. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, with those remarks, I beg to support this Motion."
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