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{
    "id": 768661,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/768661/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 146,
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    "content": "accounts so that they can be used for political purposes, maybe for mobilisation of incumbents. If you talk about Kshs2.03 billion against Kshs2.47 billion, you are talking about a difference of Kshs 430 million. That is quite colossal. Also, maybe it goes ahead to show the manner in which we, as politicians, sometimes give some tax waivers. For example, telling people in the markets not to collect monies just because we would want to make political capital out of it and of course to consolidate voting blocs. These are issues that may look mundane and superfluous, but indeed they have a bearing upon the proper implementation of our development plans in various counties. This directly affects the dividends of devolution. One of the other things that have also come out very clearly in this Report is that there is a failure of the National Treasury to ensure that the County Allocation of Revenue Act is properly implemented. There are serious challenges around how much money was disbursed. Indeed, the Report has said very clearly that there are issues of connectivity to the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS). This is an issue that we need to look out for very clearly. If the exchequer release has a problem, directly of course, it means that the counties are not able to access these funds. Why is it that this has not been fixed? There is a general discussion around connectivity around this country. However, I would want to imagine, based on my past experience in the National Assembly, where every year we were allocating not less than Kshs1 billion for the upgrading of the IFMIS, that this problem should have already been fixed. We want to ensure that we have a proper e-government and that counties do not resort to manual systems of accountability where maybe sometimes it is subject to the human agency. This is an issue that the National Treasury needs to look out for once and for all so that it is not used as an excuse to ensure that there is improper conduit of public funds. The other issue I would want to address is pending bills. It means that counties are giving contracts to various contractors without necessarily looking at whether there is enough money to conduct those projects. It is important that the Council of Governors guide the new members because of the various promises that we as politicians have made in a quest to get into political office. These promises must be properly guided. If you remember, at the national level, when the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) Government took over, they had to clear many pending bills. In fact, a vetting committee was established to realise the veracity of such pending bills. This is important because we know very well that such avenues have been used even for people to supply air and substandard goods. Issues of control, warehousing and store keeping are administrative matters that county governments need not to ignore. They need to make sure that indeed as and when something is procured, it is properly delivered, and as per Article 227 of the Constitution which calls upon all of us to ensure that the public is not deprived of its own value for money. This is also supported well in Section 31 (2) and (3) of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Act, 2005 which has also been subsequently amended. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes"
}