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Kenya: Parliament - Ministers Skip Debate On 2000/01 PAC Report
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The Nation (Nairobi)
23 April 2008
Posted to the web 22 April 2008
Nairobi
It was a new Parliament indulging in an old ritual.
The House engaged in age-old practice of discussing reports of its watchdog committees whose recommendations have long been overtaken by events.
Perhaps confirming the dangers of delaying to appoint members to its various committees, members took more than three hours debating Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report for 2000/2001 financial year.
There were two problems with that. One, some of the people negatively mentioned in the report spanning the Eighth Parliament have died, long retired, quit the civil service or joined elective politics.
Another anomaly with the 550-page dossier prepared by PAC in September 2004 is that all but three of the 11-member team made it back to Parliament in the last General Election. They are deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, Ekwee Ethuro (Turkana Central, PNU) and Energy assistant minister Charles Keter.
In essence, the report faces the ignoble fate of the irony of the missing witnesses. This is because Mr Kenyatta is in the Government and - according to House rules - will not be expected to defend it. That leaves only Mr Ethuro who initiated debate on the report yesterday to defend its contents and recommendations.
Other members of the PAC that compiled the report after holding 83 sittings were former MPs Joseph Lagat, Norman Nyagah, Kirugi M'Mukindia, Kembi Gitura, Adelina Mwau, Koigi wa Wamwere, Zebedeo Opore and Billow Kerrow.
The 2000-2001 report, just like many before it, expresses "gave concern" on Kisii-Chemosit Road which was poorly designed and executed.
"Hence the road that was to cost the taxpayer Sh146,492,302 had by November 2004 spent Sh1.8 billion and it was still incomplete," the report says.
PAC recommends that the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission should investigate the project "with a view to establishing whether the Government got value for money and prosecuting any persons involved in embezzlement of public funds."
And Cabinet ministers were criticised for failing to attend the afternoon sitting during debate on PAC report.
Took issue
Temporary deputy Speaker Margaret Kamar took issue with the ministers, who were sworn-in last week, for failing to take the august House seriously.
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Said the temporary deputy Speaker: "The absence of ministers reduces the importance of debate and I appeal to ministers to show interest in the 2000-2001 PAC report."
By then, there were 28 members - 12 on the Opposition benches and 16 on the Government side - when debate was concluded and the report endorsed after none of them stood to contribute at 5.20pm, forcing Prof Kamar to adjourn the House one hour and 10 minutes early.
The two ministers present were Mr Mutula Kilonzo (Nairobi Metropolitan Development) and Mr Mohamed Elmi (North Eastern and Arid and Semi-Arid Development).
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