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{
    "id": 522698,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/522698/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 106,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Onyura",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 12833,
        "legal_name": "Michael Aringo Onyura",
        "slug": "michael-aringo-onyura"
    },
    "content": "The area of procurement in this country is rampant with wastage. Those who are involved somehow have perfected ways of creating loopholes, which they use to their advantage. Somehow, loopholes are created every now and then, even with the presence of the law. I hope that through the enforcement of this law, some of the loopholes that have been used by unscrupulous players will be sealed to ensure that the Government does not lose money. In fact, many of us usually wonder why Government procurement is usually very expensive. The market price of any commodity is clearly known to everybody as it is displayed on the supermarket stands. However, when Government entities seek to procure, the market prices of goods and services are quoted at almost 100 times. Those are some of the loopholes that need to be sealed, so that Government programmes can run faster to completion. Of course, the law seeks to provide for efficient and speedy implementation of Government programmes. There is the area of disposal, where the Government is usually short-changed. When it comes to disposal of stores and other properties, including Government land, they are usually disposed at throw-away prices. There are a number of loopholes within Government entities, which are exploited by people who are not committed to provision of service – people who are inherently corrupt. This law should be able to tame them to some extent. I would also like to mention the fact that this Bill provides for the setting up of boards and monitoring bodies. I urge that when it comes to recruitment of staff for such bodies, the exercise should be based on merit and nothing else. One way of ensuring that we have properly qualified people to serve in such bodies is encouraging professionalism and merit during recruitment. That way, we can have people who are committed to work, and who know what they are doing. We can get value for money as implementation of Government programmes will become less costly. One of the areas I was looking at, through which the public loses a lot of money, is where those involved in procurement collude at various levels. There should be some ways of recognizing and even encouraging whistle-blowers. Some mega scandals come into the public domain as a result of deals that went sour. If there could be a way of encouraging whistle-blowers to raise the red flag whenever they smell corruption, it would help in reducing corruption. Maybe, there should be a way of encouraging and even rewarding whistle-blowers who assist the public in minimising loses of money through corruption. With regard to capacity building, I urge that the procurement profession be taken very seriously and developed, just like other professions. That is in terms of structures, professional programmes and the laws governing their practice. I feel that procurement officers and other procurement professionals should have a strong professional body that 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."
}