{"count":1608389,"next":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=148504","previous":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=json&page=148502","results":[{"id":1503222,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1503222/?format=json","text_counter":462,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Nairobi City County, ODM","speaker_title":"Hon. Esther Passaris","speaker":null,"content":"When these systems are put in place, they will enable most of these young budding entrepreneurs to get government funding through financial institutions because the government Local Purchase Order (LPO) will have some value. Today, a number of banks are not willing to finance government procurements because there is no set system of payment. They have seen so many pending bills. The business people do not have money, but they have been financed by financial institutions. It has a ripple effect that can make our economy grind to a halt. When we have these stringent laws and payment policies in place, we will ensure that nobody who has supplied to the Government has a delay in getting the money. Nobody who has LPO from the county governments or National government will have a delay in getting the money. We need to protect Kenyans who are doing business with the Government. I stand to support the amendments. I thank the Committee and the Leader of Majority Party for coming up with them so that we can strengthen our financial management laws. Thank you."},{"id":1503223,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1503223/?format=json","text_counter":463,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Farah Maalim","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":{"id":16,"legal_name":"Farah Maalim Mohamed","slug":"farah-maalim"},"content":" Hon. Melly, Member for Tinderet."},{"id":1503224,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1503224/?format=json","text_counter":464,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Tinderet, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Julius Melly","speaker":null,"content":" Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I want to thank the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning for bringing this important Bill. It will go a long way in promoting national development, transparency, competitiveness and more importantly, allow local contractors to really thrive."},{"id":1503225,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1503225/?format=json","text_counter":465,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Tinderet, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Julius Melly","speaker":null,"content":"The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."},{"id":1503226,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1503226/?format=json","text_counter":466,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Tinderet, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Julius Melly","speaker":null,"content":"As the Leader of the Majority Party said, local contractors whose economic muscle is a bit lower than international contractors are muzzled every time international contractors are awarded contracts. So, this Bill is very important. Clause 4 of the Bill seeks to amend Section 9 of the Act so as to ensure that the authority monitors and evaluates technology, knowledge, and skills transfer programmes. Every time an entity is building a road, airport or any infrastructure in this country, the State Department of Vocational and Technical Training is supposed to liaise with the contractor so that the skilled men, local artisans, and engineers can appropriately fit in the contractual framework of foreign contractor. This will ensure that any foreign contractor or investor taps local skills, therefore, providing employment to the young men of this nation. Clause 5 of the Bill seeks to amend Section 10 of the Act in order to include a representative of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) as a member of the board. Many cases arise when the local procurement procedures are not adhered to. Having a representative of LSK in the board will be good for oversight. Clause 8 of the Bill seeks to repeal Section 40 of the Act in order to enable investigations to proceed despite the fact that issues... Clause 25 of the Bill seeks to amend Section 175 of the Act in order to align the provisions of the Act to the Court of Appeal (Organisation and Administration) Act. Many court cases take too long before ruling is done. This will reduce litigation against contractual activities because it costs the country a lot of money. Court cases cause delay of construction work and loss of money. At times, contractors leave their property on site and this attracts interest. Regarding local contractors, this Bill will ensure that any contract less than Ksh1 billion will be awarded to local contractors so that they are not competed out of the market by international contractors. As we speak, the Bill recognises that local contractors can bid up to Ksh500 million. Due to competition from international contractors, they have given leg room to bid for tenders up to Ksh1 billion so as to promote local business. The issue of e-procurement is very important in our country. It will promote transparency and ensure every public procurement is on the portal. The procedures will be transparent all the way from bidding to the award level. This will give contractors confidence in Government procurement procedures because at the moment it is low. The contractors who bid always think that a certain company is being favoured by the awarding institution. This Bill also seeks to amend the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act to prescribe the threshold of procurement to be awarded to local firms. As the Leader of the Majority Party said, when the Nairobi Expressway was being constructed, the donors gave very stringent requirements; that the contract should be awarded to a company from their country. Certain skilled men come also from that particular country and by so doing, it will kill the morale, spirit, and the ability of Kenyans that we have good engineers who can design and even work on these projects better than the foreign workers. Lastly, the Bill also seeks to amend Section 50 of the Act in order to provide for the offences with regard to contract administration. At times, some local Kenyans, for example, can be induced by foreigners to register companies on their behalf. That they will look local, but in extent it is foreign-owned. This Bill seeks to punish such kind of individuals who will want to aid or assist undue foreign ownership, but locally they register in the name of their local names or local individuals. This Bill actually seeks to ensure that if a foreigner is registering, they should always try and partner with local contractors. With those many remarks, I support and ask the House to support this Bill for the good of our country, and for the good of the business of the nation. Thank you."},{"id":1503227,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1503227/?format=json","text_counter":467,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Hon. Farah Maalim","speaker_title":"The Temporary Speaker","speaker":{"id":16,"legal_name":"Farah Maalim Mohamed","slug":"farah-maalim"},"content":" Hon. Gathoni Wamuchomba."},{"id":1503228,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1503228/?format=json","text_counter":468,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Githunguri, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Gathoni Wamuchomba","speaker":null,"content":" I rise to support this wonderful Bill."},{"id":1503229,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1503229/?format=json","text_counter":469,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Githunguri, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Gathoni Wamuchomba","speaker":null,"content":"The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."},{"id":1503230,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1503230/?format=json","text_counter":470,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Githunguri, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Gathoni Wamuchomba","speaker":null,"content":"By the grace of God, I was here in the last Parliament, and I know the zeal and the desire Hon. Kuria Kimani had to have for this Bill materialise into law. Unfortunately, it did not happen, so we have an opportunity to make him proud as a Member of Parliament because he is a brilliant young lawmaker, other than just being the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning. He has heard the cries of many young entrepreneurs of this country who have been locked out of various lucrative businesses and ventures, especially when it comes to Government procurement. This is a wonderful Bill. How I wish that Members of this House support it so that we can give the opportunities to the young innovators of this country who have massive ideas, but have not had an opportunity to attract the Government’s procurement eyes. The other day I participated in a forum where coffee farmers and coffee processors were in the room, and were looking for opportunities to have an advantage to sell their value-added coffee to the Government of Kenya. It is unfortunate that many farmers doing value addition in this country do not have space in the Government’s procurement processes. It is unfortunate that in any Government’s office you go to today, they procure coffee that is manufactured and packed outside this country, and which benefits the people who are not the primary producers of coffee. In the spirit of creating jobs and accommodating as many jobless people as possible in this country, we must be intentional about procuring products that are value-added in Kenya. Because we do not have that technology transfer, this is a very good Bill. It gives us ideas of how to ensure that the technology used in Germany to package our coffee can be brought here. In so doing, we will employ many young people who are knowledgeable and skilled enough, but do not have capital. The idea of technology transfer can convince every Member of this House to support this Bill. Can we ask ourselves why even a tea bag that we consume in Parliament is most likely not packaged in Kenya? Why? We grow tea. The toothpaste that we use every morning, a commodity that almost all 52 million Kenyans use, is not packaged in Kenya. Can we ask ourselves why a toothpick or a matchbox, items that we all use, are not packaged in Kenya? We grow trees. What technology is needed to make a toothpick, for heaven's sake? It is because we believe that products that are manufactured and packaged elsewhere are better than what we produce. That calls for a paradigm shift. We must start believing in ourselves. This Bill will allow new innovators in our country to partner with foreign investors and integrate their knowledge and experiences, which is a welcome idea. I look forward to a day when a Government procurement process will accommodate 70 per cent of locally value-added farmers’ produce. I recently saw a communication from the Office of the Controller of Budget, if I am not wrong. I may need to be corrected. It was a memo that stated that for us to cut Government expenditure, we need to stop consuming tea and coffee in offices. When we say that we will stop consuming coffee and tea in offices, what are we telling our farmers? We are telling them that we are not interested in consuming their coffee and tea. Anybody who is in the business of value addition will have no market. Sometimes you need to engage in consultations before writing some of those memos. You are telling people not to consume tea and coffee in offices because there are Government measures to reduce expenditure, but you are still buying water, which is more expensive than a cup of tea. You are still serving water in exported bottles. We hardly manufacture those bottles locally. What are we telling our farmers? This Bill by Hon. Kimani Kuria, the young lawmaker from Molo, is wonderful and we must support it for the sake of our young people. For the sake of the farmers who want to add value to honey and supply it locally, and those who want to add value to milk, yoghurt, cheese, and coffee, we must support this Bill. I proudly support the Bill and congratulate the Member for his wonderful input."},{"id":1503231,"url":"http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1503231/?format=json","text_counter":471,"type":"speech","speaker_name":"Githunguri, UDA","speaker_title":"Hon. Gathoni Wamuchomba","speaker":null,"content":"The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."}]}