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"content": "After some time if it had not been considered, there was an update, another letter to say that the matter was still being considered. This happened until conclusion of the matter. This happened despite the fact that we did not have the benefit of the digital era that we have now. It should be easier to do that now. But as matters stand now, if a member of the public seeks any service - whether is a title deed, pension or whatever it is - he or she has to travel all the way from the rural area, perhaps, a hundred times. If he or she does not do so, the matter rests there. There was a time that processes used to continue and somebody got his pension right at home without ever having to come to Nairobi; but those days are gone. I hope this Bill seeks to address those issues. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, there is a lot of waste in the public service. As I look at the new requirements here, this Bill seeks to address this waste. When you talk about for instance, refunds or claims where somebody has a claim on the Government - whether it is Value Added Tax (VAT) refund, tax refund or medical claim - it ends up being very expensive, not only to the claimant, but even to the Government because there is a lot of delay. There are also wasteful procurement procedures such that when it comes to procurement by the Government, there is a notion that this is the property of the Government and, so, nobody cares as there are no consequences, as my colleague, the Senator for Homa Bay, has said. Penalties are not clear even in this document. I support him that there should be penalties such that if there are delays in reimbursing whatever - because some reimbursements or claims are straightforward, but some officers engage in rent seeking behaving as if they are doing favours to the claimant. At the end of the day, the claimant gets nothing. In fact, they end up being in debit. When we look at the waste that arises from unnecessary litigation, some officers deliberately delay implementation of certain obligations on the side of the Government. Finally, those who are aggrieved go to court to seek claims from the Government. As a result, we are paying a lot. You remember the issue of pending Bills which has never really gone away. There was a time a task force was formed and we thought it was going to clear it, but it has never done so. Right now, as I am speaking, we are hardly two years down the line in the counties, but if you were to go and audit the contractors who have not been paid, some of them, perhaps entered into agreements that cover the whole of the five years that the county government will be in office. In the first one year in a department, all the money has been committed and contractors, in some cases, have performed their tasks and completed the projects, but there is no money and no planning. It is not because the officers are not educated, or that The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
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