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{
    "id": 862580,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/862580/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 249,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tharaka, DP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. George Gitonga",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13491,
        "legal_name": "George Gitonga Murugara",
        "slug": "george-gitonga-murugara"
    },
    "content": "accounting officers are the County Executive Officers (CECs) or any other persons designated thereunder to do accounting business. However, in the county governments, we have seen and heard that officers, including the CECs, carry contract documents with them, so that they can dish out contracts the way they wish. We have heard that they carry Local Purchase Order (LPO) books which are used instantly when something needs to be worked on or any transaction, whether legal or illegal, is being entered into. This Bill must be strengthened. We are happy to hear from the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning that there will be further amendments to make this Bill better. This is because it is the only way that the Government is able to supervise its contracts. Government contracts are prone to abuse because even the mega corruption scandals we are talking about today emanate from Government contracting. So, the loopholes that have existed from time to time must be sealed. We must have a law that is going to protect public property which includes money that is going to be paid for goods and services supplied, or works done and what the Government contracts for. It is for this reason that I support this Bill and also note with keen interest that it has the penalty clauses. Any person who is going to breach this Bill is liable either in criminal or civil law. This means that we can have action commenced against that person in a civil court to recover what the Government, would have lost. Most importantly is that the person can be taken to court and punished through a jail term, fine or any other form of punishment that the court would want to mete out. This is all for purposes of ensuring that Government property is protected and public monies are safe. We must emphasize that it is the work of this Parliament to assist the Government in ensuring that whatever is entrusted to the Government is safeguarded. One way of doing this is by passing a law such as this. Let us revise this law and bring it up to-date, so that we can have an Act of Parliament that will serve us for another 50 years or more. It should be like the old Act which I have referred to as a colonial relic and which has served us for the last 55 years or so. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I therefore, seek to support this Bill."
}