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{
    "id": 904178,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/904178/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 231,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr.",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13156,
        "legal_name": "Mutula Kilonzo Jnr",
        "slug": "mutula-kilonzo-jnr"
    },
    "content": "of releasing reports to make counties look bad. We watched on Citizen Television that County „X‟ has spent zero on development, County „Y‟ has spent „Y‟ on development and yet, that report is not before the Senate. The Controller of Budget is not saying that for this particular quarter, the National Government withheld funds belonging to a county. We receive nice and glossy blue reports from the Controller of Budget, which are not saying anything; just whitewashing. This is a violation of the Constitution. Today in our mediation meeting with the National Assembly they said that they have done well by deducting Kshs9 billion belonging to counties. How do we ensure that the counties spend well the money that they have been given? Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, on the issue of pending bills, the PFM Act says that you cannot spend money that you do not have. How have counties accumulated Kshs108 billion in pending bills? Where was the Controller of Budget because the Auditor- General cannot do it? Now the Auditor-General is spending Kshs200 million doing special audits for all counties on pending bills. Assuming that 50 per cent is not due, there is still Kshs50 billion, which is not in the shareable revenue. In Machakos County Government, budgets are made for paying creditors and people who have given services. However, that money is not paid until June. Come July, it is budgeted for, and again, not paid. The County of Kitui has issues because Kshs1 billion was not paid by the previous governor. Sen. Kibiru has brought a Motion here on stalled projects, where governors have chosen not to pay for projects that were started by previous governors who were removed. Counties are stalling because people are playing around with budgets. The County Executive Committee (CEC) members in charge of finance and county governments are playing around with finance. That is happening when the Controller of Budget is enjoying security of tenure, sitting in office and allowing these misadventures by counties. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we have had a problem with the Managed Equipment Services (MES), which deals with the leasing of medical equipment. The MES is a mess. The Governor of Kitui County wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Sicily Kariuki, saying that the cost of the equipment supplied to Kitui County is Kshs312 million and that they should not pay any more. The National Government should not pretend to be paying any more for medical leasing. So far, the counties have paid Kshs450 billion. County governors led by Hon. Oparanya said: “We have never seen the contracts.” The CoB has approved the payment of this amount. There is no note in this Report by the CoB as to what I call the “Afya Gate” scandal, which is theft in the Ministry of Health for the leasing of medical equipment. We are talking about Kshs3.8 billion for the first year; Kshs4.5 billion the second year; Kshs6.1 billion for the third year, and Kshs9.4 billion for the fourth year. The variation of more than a 100 per cent by the national Government on behalf of counties is already a violation of the Constitution."
}