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{
    "id": 622926,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/622926/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 347,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Ombaka",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1007,
        "legal_name": "Christine Oduor Ombaka",
        "slug": "christine-oduor-ombaka"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity. The Controller of Budget is one of those institutions that are highly professional and the person occupying this position is one that has gone through proper schooling. The lady we have right now is good. The lady in this position is highly educated and that gives us the confidence that she can control the funds of this nation. My worry all the time about controlling funds in this country is the fact that funds may be controlled on one hand, then you discover that they never controlled them at the end of the financial year. That is when you realise that corruption had taken place and that there was over-expenditure or under-expenditure. In my county, there was a time when some millions of money were returned to the Treasury. What could have happened in that situation? What was the role of the Controller of Budget? How does it take one year for all these to be revealed when funds are misused or when corruption takes place? Can the Controller of Budget be on time to see how county governments and national Governments are spending money so that problems can be arrested early enough before the end of the financial year? That worries me a bit. It may not be my area of professionalism but it is common sense. We realise that we have lost a lot of money at the end of the financial year. What happens during the 12 months? Why can we not catch these people who steal money in the first or third month or early enough before they spend too much? That is why I feel that my contribution here is to challenge that position because certain things are still not straight. It is a position that is new because all along we always talked about the Auditor-General who audited and discovered problems. Now, we have the Controller of Budget on one hand and on the other hand the Auditor-General. The two work hand in hand. The Bill puts that very clearly that the two work closely. That will help us understand or arrest areas where there are problems. Lastly, there is need to train those that handle national funds at the county or national level. Those who manage public funds need to undergo training so that they can account for the funds that they are allocated. How do they account for them? How do they know that they have overspent or underspent? Are they aware? Why do we constantly have these problems as though there is no training? That is my contribution. Otherwise I support this Bill."
}