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{
    "id": 826394,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/826394/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 184,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "South Imenti, Independent",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kathuri Murungi",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2802,
        "legal_name": "Kathuri Murungi",
        "slug": "kathuri-murungi"
    },
    "content": "To achieve this, revenues allocated to this Fund must be administered in an effective, efficient and transparent manner. In addition, the Fund must be allocated the requisite amounts of revenue to support well governed and managed political parties as envisaged in Article 91 and 92 of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010. If parties are not supported through the National Treasury, at some point, democracy is compromised. Those who fund the parties can then decide on so many things. However, when parties are strong and well-funded, they do not need to look for financiers. The financiers can decide who should vie, for instance, for the Mbooni parliamentary seat. The party can decide who should contest in a certain constituency especially during nominations. Therefore, if parties are well-funded, even nominations can be free and fair. If we have briefcase parties, then we can get problems in our democracy. Article 229(8) of the Constitution provides that within three months after receiving an audit report, Parliament should debate and consider the report and take appropriate action. In addition, Section 68(1) of the Public Finance Management Act, 2012 states that an accounting officer for a national Government entity, the Parliamentary Service Commission and the Judiciary shall be accountable to the National Assembly. Further, Section 23 of the Political Parties Act, 2011 states that there is established the Political Parties Fund, which is administered by the Registrar of Political Parties. On this basis, the Committee invited the Registrar of Political Parties who appeared before the Committee on 3rd July this year during examination of the Report of the Auditor- General on financial statements of the Political Parties Fund for the year ended 30th June 2017. The Report that we tabled contains recommendations arising from observations and findings made by the Committee during the deliberations with the Registrar of Political Parties. The Committee observed that the Registrar of Political Parties had taken administrative actions geared towards addressing all matters realised in the Report of the Auditor-General. The Committee recommended that the Registrar undertakes information conformity and disaster recovery plan during the current Financial Year 2018/2019. One notable issue that we observed during our deliberations is that the Registrar of Political Parties established that revenues allocated to Political Parties Fund is based on a criterion established by the National Treasury. In this criterion, out of the total revenues received and audited, allocations are first made on public debt, pensions, constitutional salaries, county governments, Parliament, Judiciary, constitutional commissions and the Equalisation Fund and the balance is used to determine allocation to the Political Parties Fund. That is where the bone of contention is. We feel that the right formula is not used in establishing what should go to the political parties. On this basis, the Committee recommended that the Cabinet Secretary in charge of the National Treasury and Planning complies with the provisions of Section 24(1)(a) of the Political Parties Fund Act, 2011 that provides that sources of the Fund be such funds not being less than 0.3 per cent of the revenue collected by the national Government and may be provided by Parliament. Therefore, we want the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee to take up this matter because that is the substantive committee on this matter."
}