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{
    "id": 925532,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/925532/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 181,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank the Deputy Leader of Majority for raising this very important Statement. I think we will not be doing our work as the Senate if we do not critically with time and thoroughly look at the issue of the use of technology within our counties and the IFMIS. A few issues arise. Mr. Speaker, Sir, technology is good, but sometimes technology is an opportunity for those who are bright to steal. They say if you cannot convince them, confuse them. Many times, we hear the system is down so that people go back and revert to manual systems. During that manual, especially, in the collection of revenue, a lot of theft takes place. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want the Committee to look at the adaptability because what we are almost having in the country is a monopoly because of the insistence by the National Treasury of IFMIS system and that other systems cannot patch onto it. Therefore, one technology company, I think it is Oracle, is having a monopoly on adaptability and serviceability of that information system yet there are many other enterprise resource-planning platforms that our counties can use. The CPAIC and the Committee on Finance and Budget need to set clear standards for all counties on own-source revenue technology for use for own-source revenue collection. Different counties are employing the method that they want which they design locally, and many times, you find that they are suiting other interests. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am glad that our counties can now build capacity. I am very happy that Nairobi City County has moved from using one system and they are building their internal capacity. However, even that needs to be based on a standardized model by the Senate, so that every county can build capacity according to certain standards. There must be an interface through which the CPAIC or the Auditor-General and other institutions of accountability can monitor day-in day-out how much money is being collected. Technology is good, but it must be used for good purposes. We opened a data centre worth hundreds of millions in Nairobi, yet people of Nairobi are yet to feel the value of that data centre that was launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta. If you go to many towns and cities across the world, as soon as you land in the airport, you will get an interface on your phone which tells you: “Welcome to this county, this is how you do this, this is how you pay your parking, this is how you get information about the place and all other information.” All that information is available to you even if you are a visitor in that place. Mr. Speaker, Sir, let us look at the accountability aspect, versatility and adaptability of this technology and understand if this is the best system for us to force all"
}