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{
    "id": 523345,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/523345/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 178,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Aden",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 15,
        "legal_name": "Aden Bare Duale",
        "slug": "aden-duale"
    },
    "content": "I must say that the biggest challenge that is facing our country is public procurement. Almost all the known issues that have to do with corruption have happened under the disguise of procurement. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, if you look at the Anglo-Leasing scandal, it was nothing more than a number of procurement issues being put together and, in the name of procurement, there was irregular stealing from public coffers. For that reason, the matter that is before us today is very importance. Several studies have shown that corruption is responsible for 30 per cent funds leakage out of our economy on an annual basis. I can tell you that most of that corruption happens in the form of procurement and, more so, now that we have devolved resources to the counties. As Kenyans, we are now experiencing a rather new phenomenon. While we celebrate devolution, again, unfortunately, we have devolved corruption to a great extent. Most of it has to do with lack of proper laws with regard to public procurement. This Bill points out very fundamental issues. Of most importance is standardizing specific issues or policies with regard to public procurement. You will realise that because we manage the Constituencies Development Funds (CDF) funds, whereas the CDF might use Kshs1.5 million to construct two classrooms in a school, a person bearing a contract coming from the county will build the same two classrooms with same specifications from the same public works officers who issue the specific Bills of Quantity (BQs) for Kshs4 million. We have seen it. It is happening and it is very unfortunate because those are the ways in which this economy is leaking. This particular Bill introduces the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) which now has powers and authority to not only investigate the officers in charge of the coffers of counties and national Government which stands accused of corruption, but also of private companies that are in cahoots with those corrupt public officers in the name of being contractors. Therefore, PPRA will go all the way to ensure that those companies are investigated and blacklisted. As hon. (Ms.) Nyokabi has rightly said, we must take this opportunity to bring on board the harshest possible penalties to corrupt persons in the Government, and even businessmen who corrupt Government officers. I must say that this particular Bill does a lot of work with regard to ensuring that there is fair distribution of resources. Amongst the audit issues that PPRA will do is to ensure that, as per the spirit of this Constitution and per the existing other laws, the youth and women of this country are given the opportunity to benefit from the procurement processes. As it is right now, unfortunately, many of the contracts are given to people who are friends of the authority that is issuing that particular tender. There are people who have, in many occasions, said that they have to pay certain amounts of money before those tenders are awarded to them. Unfortunately, that is happening because of the corrupt nature of awarding the project. The end result is that the infrastructure that is built or the goods and services that are finally delivered are sub-standard in nature. That is because the very person who was supposed to query the nature and the form - the 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."
}