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{
    "id": 622868,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/622868/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 289,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Gichigi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1909,
        "legal_name": "Samuel Kamunye Gichigi",
        "slug": "samuel-kamunye-gichigi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I also support this Bill. The role of the Controller of Budget is very well put under Article 228 of the Constitution. For avoidance of doubt, I wish to cite it. Sub-articles (4) and (6) state respectively as follows:- “The Controller of Budget shall oversee the implementation of the budgets of the national and county governments by authorising withdrawals from public funds under Articles 204, 206 and 207.” “Every four months, the Controller shall submit to each House of Parliament a report on the implementation of the budgets of the national and county governments.” Hon. Deputy Speaker, it is important that we quickly pass this Bill, because the Controller of Budget has not been doing a good job on the mandate given to her by the Constitution. While the authorisation of the use of funds requires that she checks the budgets to ensure that the money is provided for before it is released, we are aware of certain things that are done by counties and the national Government that are not within the Budget. You wonder whether the Controller of Budget and her office is carrying out her duties as required by Parliament. I do not think I can rate the performance of the Controller of Budget this time round highly. Secondly, I have had a chance to look at the quarterly reports that come from our office for the implementation of the Budget. Apparently, what she does is just report that this is what was supposed to have been done and yet the Constitution envisages a situation where that office confirms that the money that was released did the job that it was supposed to do. So, the issues of outputs by the various agencies and ministries on the money that they have received--- I do not see proper reports on implementation of projects in the reports that she has been giving us. To me, it is a general report and more academic than a practical document that should help this country ensure that we get value for the money we release to the agencies, ministries as well as the counties. Once we pass this law, that office will not claim that they did not have the necessary teeth to carry out their mandate. The sooner we do this the better. We have heard complaints in the past by the Controller of Budget about the Government. This law is giving her powers to complain because it is creating offences. It is possible to get people to jail and there are fines because of failing to comply with this law and failing to give information to the Controller of Budget. She is going to get teeth. Let her act on this law so that we can bring accountability on the proper use of public funds in this country. There is an omission and I am hoping that we will rectify that during the Committee Stage where the only money that is focused on is the funds that are released during the Division of Revenue Bill. There is a lot of money being collected by the counties. Since the law says that, that money should be taken to the county fund account and be released according to the Budget rather than being used at source, it is important that such reports of the monies collected by the counties should also go to the Controller of Budget. This is so that she also monitors how that money is used, including monies collected by various national Government agencies for services rendered. That is an omission that we should take care of in the next stage. There is a requirement that various agencies, Government ministries as well as county governments submit their budget estimates to Parliament as well as to the county assemblies respectively. This law now requires that such estimates be submitted to the Controller of Budget 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."
}