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{
    "id": 863819,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/863819/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 306,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nambale, ANC",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Sakwa Bunyasi",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2511,
        "legal_name": "John Sakwa Bunyasi",
        "slug": "john-sakwa-bunyasi"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to offer my contribution to the Report of the Public Accounts Committee. The function of the Public Accounts Committee is an extremely important one because as a nation, that is the only opportunity we get to comment on the management of public resources in this country as largely highlighted by the Auditor-General, but generally going beyond what he has highlighted. In fact, they have the mandate to investigate whether our resources have been used with prudence in accordance with the Public Audit Act and the PFM Act. There are many laws governing this including the Constitution. We can all be impressed by the volume of this Report, but the Public Accounts Committee handles tonnes of documents. This a small abstract of what they receive. What matters in my view is the degree to which the observations will lead to corrective action, either immediately internally or will be taken further by other institutions like the DPP and DCI. With respect to how the observations can lead to further actions, my concern is that I do not see a sharp end in this Report that would enable the DPP to pick up anything and move on with it. This has happened in all previous years. As you know, there have been controversies as to whether people should be named or not. The naming was important because the DPP will not follow up a department. It will not follow up a system failure. The DPP will follow up a forensic matter which is committed by an individual while serving in that capacity so that the culpability can be pinned down. It is not to a group, but to individuals. Even recommendations with regard to departments that had difficulty providing adequate data and explaining themselves like health and agriculture are fairly tame. That bothers me. At the minimum, we must not fall below the level of severity that would have been taken by the Office of the Auditor-General. We should carry it further and be bolder in dealing with such cases because ministries get lots of donor funds as well as national revenue, but have great difficulty putting it together. The Committee will recall that both in the year whose financial records they considered and subsequent years, they had to send them back to get their acts together and come back and explain. When you read this Report, there has been great effort in smoothing it over. That is not a good thing. We must be bold where there is culpability and say so. Fortunately, the Committee is protected under the rules of the House. They are the only group that can do so with the responsibility and clarity that is required under the law. Secondly, there was a major outcry during the course of the period under review in respect to sovereign bonds. There was the Eurobond. This has happened every year. There were great questions about it. This Report sanitised and buried it as if nothing really happened. Everything has been explained. That is a risky trend. If we go that route, there will be very little value that Parliament will add to this. My third concern is on the revenue account. There is very little mentioned here, particularly on the performance of the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). The KRA has the luck of being shielded by the National Treasury. There is a firewall around the KRA provided by the National Treasury. We end up dealing with the number that the National Treasury will give us. We have complained every year that it needs a serious review, perhaps even a forensic review, on issues of revenue collection and management. It cannot be that if you want to become a billionaire or millionaire, you just join KRA for a few years and you will be there. What is happening there? They are responsible for our revenue. Failure on their part increases debt. It means that the Government has to find some more money. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}