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{
"id": 1613532,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613532/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4572,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kilifi North, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Owen Baya",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. A budget is either a tool of equalising or marginalising a country. That is a key principle when it comes to national budgets. You can use a budget to marginalise certain areas and boost others. However, you can also equalise a country and the budget we are currently debating is such a tool. I have seen in this budget that resources have been put in virtually every part of the country. Probably, it is the only time since Independence that we have had such a budget, thanks to the broad-based Government that we have. This is an important principle, and I want to ask other chairmen of budget committees and people who have been given the task of budgeting to ensure that we follow this spirit. The spirit of ensuring that every budget that comes in tries to equalise the nation, so that resources can go to every part of the country. Never again should we have a situation where we have marginalised areas and those that have made huge progress. Areas that have been left ten years behind others, or other areas which are ten years ahead. This is one of the things that I want to commend the Committee on. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for informationpurposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
},
{
"id": 1613533,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613533/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4573,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kilifi North, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Owen Baya",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Secondly, on a general principle of budget, it can also be used as an economic stimulus package – how you distribute the money. Many times, you hear people say: Yes, the economy is growing, and we can see the numbers, but then people still tell you they are not feeling it in their pockets. Probably, the money has been put in areas that do not spur economic growth. Areas like building more infrastructure, yet, the money is not coming into the expenditure issues. Therefore, you have a problem. Why I say this is an economic stimulus budget, we have increased resources in agriculture. When you have resources in agriculture, you are talking about productivity. When you are talking about productivity, you are talking about stimulating the economy. We have resources that are going into building markets. When you have resources that go into building markets, you are encouraging and anchoring the economy to be market- driven. This budget has two principles that have been achieved. One, using a budget to equalise a country. Secondly, it is an economic stimulus package to allow the economy to flourish and put money in the pockets of people. I want to assure Kenyans that, having looked at this budget and gone through it, money will start flowing into their pockets if it is properly implemented. The other question that comes to my mind is the implementation of a budget. You can have very good figures. You can have a very good budget. But when resources are distributed and released, you realise that the money may not be released into the areas that have been marginalised for many years. It may be released to those other areas. This is a whole-year programme. In the first quarter, where is the money going? Second quarter, where is the money going? Third quarter, where is the money going? Fourth quarter, where is the money going? That is very important. And because we are a country that always has a deficit in the budget, we come to this principle where you look at priorities because resources are scarce. The question is: Who then bears the deficits? I hear people celebrating, a road has been put in my place, or this has been put in my place. That is not enough. Will the actual expenditure of the money be available for that road to be done? Some roads were budgeted for last year, but have not been completed. Some programmes and projects were budgeted for the previous budget, but they were not done because of priority, deficit and less revenue coming in. This is a principle that we must guard against, that when the money is little, only certain areas benefit. Although the project is in the budget, certain areas benefit. I also want to note certain areas where money has been put. For example, a lot of money has gone into the blue economy. We know that if the issues of the blue economy are properly implemented, and we have a good legal regime and good laws in the blue economy area, we are likely to benefit as a country. We are likely to spur growth. With the blue economy, something interesting is about it. You do not spend your money to grow the fish. The fish grows. It is not like a cow. You have to feed the cow, buy animal feeds, have someone to shepherd them and have structures. But the fish is in the sea or the lake. You spend nothing to grow the fish. The only thing that you need is equipment and tools to go and get it. Now, if you do that, economic growth is faster in that sector than in any other sector because you do not spend to grow the fish. This country needs to learn that important thing."
},
{
"id": 1613534,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613534/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4574,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kilifi North, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Owen Baya",
"speaker": null,
"content": "We are lagging behind in stimulating the blue economy and yet, it can help this country grow faster. It can benefit the whole country because the products and by-products that come from the blue economy are huge. But many a time, we do not see that. If I was given an opportunity to sit in the Budget and Appropriations Committee and if I were to allocate Ksh100 billion, where would I put it? Would I put it in cows or would I put it in fish? If I put it in cows, it means I will spend many recurrent resources to grow the cow to maturity before slaughtering or milking. I will have to feed the cow and do all that. If I put it in the blue economy, I would only need to buy equipment, go fishing, prepare it, sell it and make The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for informationpurposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
},
{
"id": 1613535,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613535/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4575,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kilifi North, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Owen Baya",
"speaker": null,
"content": "money. For the first time, I have seen there is a drive to actually benefit from the blue economy sector. That, for me, is very important."
},
{
"id": 1613536,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613536/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4576,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kilifi North, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Owen Baya",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Another important thing this Budget has done is to allocate money to the Social Health Authority (SHA). Health is one of the highest consumers of resources of families and earners. Many times, families are left in tatters because they have spent all their money and sold their only goat or cow to take somebody to hospital. We will get it right if we have a universal health care programme and a healthcare system that takes care of the less fortunate in the society."
},
{
"id": 1613537,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613537/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4577,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kilifi North, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Owen Baya",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Take note that the healthcare system either makes or removes a President in the United States of America. You have heard about Obamacare. Trump removed it when he took office. Biden had his own system when he took office. Healthcare is everything for a country, especially in other nations. In the United States of America, your policies and programmes on healthcare alone will either make you President or bring you down."
},
{
"id": 1613538,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613538/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4578,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kilifi North, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Owen Baya",
"speaker": null,
"content": "We, as a country, are reaching that level where we need a healthcare system. Healthcare will now become an important campaign tool. No one will ever erase the important history we are writing now if we get SHA right. This 13th Parliament will be counted as that Parliament that got it right for the citizens of Kenya by bringing down the cost of healthcare and allowing everybody to benefit from national coffers to ensure that everybody is healthy and able to pay bills."
},
{
"id": 1613539,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613539/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4579,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kilifi North, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Owen Baya",
"speaker": null,
"content": "There is another thing I would like to speak about. The Budget can also help you to gauge the efficiency of the government. How efficient is the government? One of the key principles of an efficient government is to have a lean government. The leaner the government, the lesser the wastage. We need to examine our Government."
},
{
"id": 1613540,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613540/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4580,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Kilifi North, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Owen Baya",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Hon. Temporary Speaker, I know you were present during making the the 2010 Constitution. Probably, the efficiency at the helm or pedestal of a lean government was not looked into. This country has a huge Government. The county governments are making it even bigger. Functions are duplicated. There is duplication even in the two Houses of Parliament. We continue to spend money on duplicated roles. We need to have a Budget that actually spells out the word “lean” so that we move from the bloated Government we have. We would become more efficient and resources would move properly."
},
{
"id": 1613541,
"url": "http://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1613541/?format=api",
"text_counter": 4581,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Peter Kaluma",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Add him a minute."
}
]
}