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{
    "id": 980471,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/980471/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 82,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Speaker",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Hon. Kimani Ichung’wah, Chair of the Budget and Appropriations Committee made reference to these very tight timelines. He informed Members that there is a proposal to amend the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act to give the House more time. However, for the time being, we must do with what we have. Those tight timelines are also there in the Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) Act, which require re-looking. I expect Hon. John Olago Aluoch, Hon. Otiende Amollo, Hon. T.J. Kajwang’, and others to take a lead in looking at those timelines. The practice in other jurisdictions is one where Parliament is never really tied. You cannot be told to approve a person to become a Cabinet Secretary within a particular time and if you do not, the person is deemed to have been appointed. What then are you supposed to do? Where is the time for you to get the public to even appear before you or dig deeper about the past and the records of the person who will appear before you? I am just saying this because the Chair of the Budget and Appropriations Committee indicated the need to look at the timelines which are given in the PFM Act. They cannot be open-ended. Likewise, that Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) Act needs to be looked at so that it enables the House to vet nominees. I have seen in some jurisdictions, without naming any particular one, where they can even stay with the names of nominees for up to four months because they want to know as much as possible about the nominees. However, when you are hurried, you have very little time. You bear in mind that Members do not just keep digging history of nominees. They also do other things. We appreciate that Members do other things but not only about the history of a nominee. We can leave this Statement at that. However, we should encourage as many of us as possible to attend the Pre- Budget Conference which will be a useful thing. Can we do some other business? Hon. Otiende Amollo, do you want to say something?"
}