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{
    "id": 742843,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/742843/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 233,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. F. K. Wanyonyi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2065,
        "legal_name": "Ferdinard Kevin Wanyonyi",
        "slug": "ferdinard-kevin-wanyonyi"
    },
    "content": "a hurry to appoint board members. The MD and the management operate without board members. That is why we have so many problems because nobody checks what is happening. For example, we have had a case in the Department of Agriculture, where the Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Authority (AFFA) is operating without a board for no reason. If you ask why they have not done that, nobody tells you why the board has not been appointed. The CEO has no idea what is happening. You cannot blame the CEO. He will do what he wants without the board’s approval because nobody is there to check him or her. The other thing that has been highlighted by the Committee is the fact that some of these parastatals or State corporations have a lot of debt burdens. Some of them are not able to meet their obligations. The CEOs are appointed and when they go to the parastatal, there are no boards. The problem of imprest has been highlighted by the Committee. Imprests are not surrendered every day. We have had cases where auctioneers even invade parastatals. I had a case when I was a CEO in the Lake Basin Development Authority. It was hide and seek where you have debts and those who want the debts to be recovered bring auctioneers to the parastatal. Some of the money is used to bribe the auctioneers because they are always there looking for the debts. So, multiple problems emanate from the fact that the structures in most of these parastatals are not properly laid down. I have not seen this problem in the Report. In the Office of the President, we have the Monitoring and Efficiency Unit, which, in some cases, could be compromised. Some of these things should be detected when officers go around to monitor what is happening in parastatals. We have 21 of them here. Most of them are just common things which should have been detected by the MEU in the Office of the President. That is a problem. The other issue that I have noted is that of title deeds. I agree with the previous speaker who talked about pressure on land. Indeed, we have a lot of pressure on land. Some of these chunks of land that most parastatals occupy are being encroached because of pressure on land. Most of these problems are just our own making. I agree with the general recommendation by the Committee that one has to get clearance within six months from the adoption of this Report. That way, things will be done properly. As it is now, we are groping in darkness. I do not understand how a State corporation can operate without a board for, say, three years. A board is a vehicle that is supposed to check on some of the issues that have been raised in this Report. God knows what is happening with the issue of recovery of imprest! If the CEO is not checked, he could easily fail to surrender imprest. The people who are involved in the running of parastatals and the appointing authorities must come out clear on this matter. We need to appoint people who can effectively run the operations of our State corporations. In my opinion, it is the Government of the day that should be blamed. You cannot blame anybody else. Somebody in the Government is sleeping on the job and that is why we have so many problems. I am sure this is just a tip of the iceberg and we will be getting more of these sad stories as the Committee visits other areas."
}