The Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Budget has granted Migori County seven days to align its procurement compliance records with those of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA).

Committee Chairperson and Mandera Senator Ali Roba noted that while written responses were presented, the supporting documentation was only delivered this morning, preventing prior interrogation by the committee and the regulatory authority. 

He emphasized the need to adhere to strict submission timelines to ensure structured oversight and thorough preparation before any follow-up appearance.

"Once a letter is written to you, please submit the documents within the timeline specified in the letter that is written to you, so that before you appear, we can share with the respective authorities in time and ensure senators interact with the documents,” Senator Roba guided.

Under standard parliamentary procedure, the submission of records is required at least seven days before a scheduled committee appearance to allow lawmakers and regulatory bodies sufficient time to interrogate the details. 

Since the documents arrived too late for prior review, the committee agreed to a request by the PPRA for time to examine the newly presented files against the Public Procurement Information Portal (PPIP) database before providing a formal technical assessment.

Migori Senator Eddy Oketch requested that the forthcoming PPRA report specifically address critical areas affecting county operations, including potential contract voiding, supplier debarments, financial implications, and asset valuation schedules.

"The PPRA should help elucidate, if any, voiding of any contracts, whether there has been any supplier debarment, and whether there have been any severe financial and budgetary implications in the county government of Migori, especially in terms of withholding of national funds or delay of such, and how that has affected projects," Senator Oketch stated.

Appearing before the panel, Migori Governor Ochillo Ayacko addressed the compliance gaps flagged by the oversight authority, explaining that past technical shortcomings in reporting had been resolved following targeted training.

"In the 2022/2023 Financial Year, there was a reporting gap due to lack of technical expertise. However, the Department of Finance and Economic Planning, through an IT expert from the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority, organized and conducted in-house training in June 2023,” the Migori County chief said, adding, “The training equipped the staff with the necessary technical expertise on the use of the public procurement information portal.” 

During the session, Governor Ayacko also raised concerns regarding ongoing industrial action in the health sector, seeking legislative support to guarantee funding for absorbing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) staff on permanent and pensionable terms.

In response, Chairperson Roba explained that the Senate had structured the UHC allocations under the County Governments Additional Allocations Bill to ensure specific disbursement based on actual personnel numbers per county. 

The Senator for Mandera assured the county executive that the Senate would press the National Assembly to fast-track the passage of the bill to unlock the necessary funds to the counties.

The committee will re-invite the Migori County executive following the receipt and analysis of the PPRA evaluation report.