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{
    "id": 420820,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/420820/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 220,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Ababu",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 108,
        "legal_name": "Ababu Tawfiq Pius Namwamba",
        "slug": "ababu-namwamba"
    },
    "content": "reported in many Ministries and departments as at 30th June, 2010. The total outstanding imprests amounted to Kshs792,557,902.65. The Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation topped the list with an outstanding imprest of Kshs.408,364,263.05, followed by the Ministry of Education at Kshs76,708,420.45. This is a worrying trend considering that the Government has lost huge sums of money on account of imprests defaulting. The Committee observed that Government financial regulations and procedures on imprests are supplemented by various circulars issued by the Treasury from time to time. They clearly spell out guidelines for management of imprests and faulted accounting officers for failing to enforce those circulars and regulations leading to malpractices that have been noted by the Committee. The Committee, therefore, in respect of outstanding imprests recommended that:- (1.) Accounting officers must immediately take necessary steps to ensure that all outstanding imprests within their jurisdiction are fully recovered. (2.) In cases where an accounting officer is unable to recover an outstanding imprest within three months from the due date, he or she be surcharged for the full amount due. (iii) Under-expenditure and under-collection of A-in-A - and I dare say that even as the Committee continues to handle accounts for subsequent years since these accounts were last concluded – is a major problem. It is one that will definitely recur in subsequent reports. Under-expenditure and under-collection of A-in-A was reported in several Ministries and departments. This was, notwithstanding, assurances by accounting officers during past appearances that sufficient measures had been put in place to address the situation. Many accounting officers attribute the situation to inadequate Exchequer releases, failure by donors to release funds and procurement hitches. The Committee made the following recommendations:- (i) That accounting officers should investigate the under-expenditure and under- collection of Appropriations-in-Aid in their Ministries and departments and take appropriate action against culpable officers where laxity, negligence of duty and malpractices are established. (ii) Accounting officers either severally or jointly with the Treasury must ensure that they have, at all times, sufficient mechanisms in place to address under-expenditure and under-collection of A-in-A. This issue is one that I invite hon. Members to pay keen regard to as they debate this Report - the question of under-expenditure and under- collection in aid. (iv) Issue number four is the development of a Kenya External Resources Policy (KERP). Treasury had in the past informed the Committee that it was developing KERP which will address several issues relating to donor funding because it was a major cause of under-expenditure and under-collection of A-in-A, and, to an extent, pending bills. However, the policy has not yet been developed to date. It should be noted that under- expenditure and under-collection of A-in-A as well as pending bills have dominated this and previous Reports as some of the most recurring audit queries. The Committee gave Treasury another chance to develop the policy not later than June, 2013 and immediately report to Parliament. I can inform the House that, indeed, the Committee has been liaising with Treasury very closely on this matter of developing the KERP and up to date, Treasury has assured the Committee that this should be concluded before the conclusion The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}