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{
    "id": 74369,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/74369/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 361,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "was set up to look at all issues of the pending bills that had been presented for payment to the Government, and these are huge. If I remember, the initial tally in terms of the total claims against the Government that were presented to this Committee, may well have been in excess of Kshs119 billion. That is what Kenyans said the Government owes them. But within the first batch, if I recall clearly, the amount that was first investigated may well have been in the first tranche of about Kshs70 billion and this was reduced to a mere just under Kshs500 million as payable and all other claims were dismissed. Subsequently, I think in the second tranche the figures were about the same. By the time they closed, I can almost guarantee that the figure of Kshs119 billion that was claimed by people that the Government owed them would have been reduced to something like under Kshs2 billion. The Chairman did indicate that they have overstayed their mandate. I will not be worried how long we keep that Committee. If we can reduce the total exposure by the Kenyan public from Kshs119 billion to probably under Kshs2 billion then it is worth keeping that Committee so that they can close those matters, and forever any regime that comes does not revive some of those bills because it is the people of Kenya who will be losing their money. I believe that the Committee requires some commendation for the work it has done. It has done super job in terms of reducing the overall exposure for Kenyan taxpayers’ money against all odds. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with regard to the Anglo Leasing contracts, hon. Members will recall that, indeed, there were 18 related contracts that had a similar pattern on how they were done. Contrary to the views that are usually peddled by the media that all these contracts were entered into during the Kibaki Government era, out of the 18 contracts, 12 contracts were entered into between 1997 and 2002. Indeed, these are the contracts on which there have been payments because the payments started in 1997 and could not be stopped. Some goods may have been supplied and nobody is quite sure of what happened. However, all the contracts that were started in 2003 were cancelled. It would be important for the PAC to look at those matters and confirm to the people of Kenya that those contracts were cancelled and the deposit that had been paid was refunded. So, there is no contract existing on the six contracts. It will be very good or for the comfort of the people of Kenya that when we talk about Anglo Leasing contracts, we tell them that 12 of the contracts were entered into with the previous regimes between 1997 and 2002. There was no running contract after 2003. Probably, there could be one that was subsequently cleared by the Parliamentary Committee. I am not sure why there is not progress on the naval ship that was purchased. The Committee said that they should continue but I believe that we have put a moratorium on all those payments. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would just like to commend the Committee for its work and request it to bring out some of those issues in the subsequent reports so that Kenyans can tell where we are on public debt. We should not leave Kenyans with the illusion that perhaps their money has been misspent. Part of the money has gone into roads and other developments. If there are any weaknesses that have been identified, as my friend Mr. Charles Onyancha would confirm, for us as accountants and auditors when we write letters of weaknesses or management letters to the management, it is never with the intention of telling them that they have failed. We say that we have discovered the following weaknesses which if not addressed the business could go down. For the purposes of this House, I would like to see the PAC bringing the laws that the auditors"
}