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{
    "id": 925010,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/925010/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 296,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kiharu, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Ndindi Nyoro",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13370,
        "legal_name": "Samson Ndindi Nyoro",
        "slug": "samson-ndindi-nyoro"
    },
    "content": "I introduce the Bill as an amendment to our Anti-Corruption and Economics Crimes Act. I propose to amend Section 48. Currently, in our laws on the fight against corruption, there is a threshold of the penalty in terms of fine and imprisonment. My Bill seeks to increase the penalties. Currently in the Act, the prescribed penalty is that a person convicted of an anti- corruption and economic crime offence is liable to a fine not exceeding Kshs1 million or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years. My Bill seeks to increase the penalty. Instead of a fine not exceeding Kshs1 million, we are amending to a fine not less than Kshs1 million. As for imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years, we are opening that to not less than 10 years. As you could have noted, our country currently is grappling with these crimes which hurt our economy in a great manner. As you know, corruption is two sided: the supply side and the demand side. Therefore, what my Bill seeks to do is to instill a bit of fear in those who may wish, think or contemplate tampering with public resources. Our country is very rich. We are a country with a lot of resources. I think our country can survive very well on surplus without borrowing any money from outside. Since you are also a Kenyan, and I am sure you see things, most of the public resources end up in private pockets without rendering any service to the taxpayers and the Kenyan people, who actually work very hard. It is on this basis that it is upon us, as leaders, to streamline how we spend public resources in a manner that gives utility to the people who should actually enjoy public resources. On the issue of demand and supply, most of the corruption in our country happens through procurement. It is two-pronged in terms of procurement because there is the contractor and the public officer who awards a tender through a procurement process. Most of the demand for corruption comes from public officials. We have very many gifted business people in this country, but for you to do business with the Government you have to oil some hands. It is upon us, first of all, to curtail corruption on the demand side, because we will have dealt with the majority of corruption cases in our country. There are two propositions in the fight against corruption in any country. One seeks to appeal to the patriotism of the people of the country, and especially public officers. This has worked in various jurisdictions especially where people actually love their country. In our country we are so mechanical that everyone minds their own business. Therefore, in a country like ours we have to appeal to the other area, which is to instill fear in those people who would imagine engaging in corruption and economic crimes. I am borrowing this from several countries. In Singapore around 1986, there was a Minister in charge of Housing, Teh Cheang who was appointed by the then Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew to oversee the housing project in Singapore, a country that is now enjoying over 90 per cent home ownership. That Minister 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."
}