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{
    "id": 991363,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/991363/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 209,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Murang’a CWR, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Ms.) Sabina Chege",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 884,
        "legal_name": "Sabina Wanjiru Chege",
        "slug": "sabina-wanjiru-chege"
    },
    "content": "At the meeting, the Ministry tabled a document that detailed various funding flows. Among other documents, was one showing Kshs1.3 billion budgetary support from the World Bank to support the national COVID-19 response. As soon as the document was tabled, the Ministry realised it had contained the budget-approved proposals which had not been broken down to cover the six months of the support. Unaware that the document only contained the budget and not a costed work-plan, the media went on to publicise the financial proposals. The media coverage gave the impression that the Ministry had already spent Kshs1.3 billion World Bank money in just a month, which was not the case. As expected, the coverage sparked a public outcry. Although the Ministry realised it had tabled an insufficient document immediately after the meeting, it was not supposed to issue a clarification because that could only happen before the Departmental Committee on Health, which was seized of the matter. On its part, the Departmental Committee on Health saw the need to invite the Ministry on Tuesday, May 5th 2020 to explain the discrepancies that were contained in its own documents. The Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Health appeared before our team on Tuesday, May 5th 2020 and presented fresh documents which have been interrogated and accepted as a true reflection of the financial position of the various income streams. The Committee has put in place a report to table in this House. It has taken the liberty to stand before you to make this short statement and clear the air on this matter given that it has serious implications on the ongoing COVID-19 response. I, therefore, wish to notify the House as follows. By the time the Ministry appeared in Parliament on April 28th, the World Bank funding had not hit the Ministry’s account. This made us to conclude that there was no way the Ministry could have misappropriated what it had not received by then. By May 5th 2020, part of the funds had been received by the Ministry, although no payments had been made based on any COVID- 19 national response. The Ministry informed the Committee that the World Bank support is expected to assist the Ministry…"
}