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{
    "id": 523417,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/523417/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 250,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Sunjeev",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13136,
        "legal_name": "Sunjeev Kour Birdi",
        "slug": "sunjeev-kour-birdi"
    },
    "content": "When you look at the public procurement process today, as I mentioned before, you realize that tenders are very voluminous. What has been happening in the past is that people have been at loggerheads with the authorities. In fact, the authorities have been taken to court. Instead of focussing on the concept of completing projects, we are focussing more on the concept of going to court and spending more money in the judicial system. We spend a lot of money on lawyers who actually take us round and round in circles. I hope that this Public Procurement Authority is going to assist the many people who get into problems during the tendering process. Clause 149 of this Bill is very important because it says that the advanced payment must be used simply and purposely for that particular contract. Many times what happens is that businesses use the advance payment to actually siphon money hence leaving the contract hanging; which is a criminal thing. Nonetheless, many people have got away with it. We must also find out and debar cowboy contractors, business people and procurement agencies or agents that are out there just to make a quick buck. This Bill is certainly going to shed light and bring all those people into account. I fully agree with hon. Priscillah Nyokabi when she says that we need to set our standards higher on catching the culprits. For example, if there is a contract worth Kshs4 billion and the offence is such that it attracts not more than Kshs4million, then you might as well just take that person to prison. That person has got enough money stashed somewhere and all he needs to do is to serve his sentence of not more than ten years!"
}