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"speaker_name": "Mr. Imanyara",
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"legal_name": "Gitobu Imanyara",
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"content": " Who was on the Floor? We adjourned on this Motion. Does anybody want to contribute?"
},
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"content": "Yes, Mr. Mungatana!"
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, first, I want to thank Dr. Otichilo, the Member for Emuhaya for bringing this Motion before the House at this time."
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"legal_name": "Danson Buya Mungatana",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I also want to thank the Member who seconded!"
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Imanyara",
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"legal_name": "Gitobu Imanyara",
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"content": " Order, Mr. Mungatana! There is a procedural error on my part because the hon. Gitari was actually seconding at the time we left. Since he is not here, I need to put the Question before you can proceed."
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"content": "(Question proposed)"
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"type": "speech",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to thank Dr. Otichilo for bringing this Motion to this House at this time. This Motion says in part that: “This House is urging the Executive arm of the Government to urgently formulate a Geo-Information Policy and establish a secretariat that will co-ordinate the development of a web based special data infrastructure at both national and county level in order to allow users to readily have access to data and information with line Article 35 of the Constitution.” Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the first point I want to make in support of this Motion is that after the passing of the new Constitution, things have changed in this country. There are things that need legislative and administrative changes. The legislative changes that we have started in this House are many. They are ongoing. However, in terms of the administrative changes to make this Constitution a reality, the Executive arm of Government has been lagging behind. It has not shown the commitment that is required to make sure that this Constitution becomes a reality. I say so because Article 35 has clearly stated that access to information is now a right for every Kenya citizen who is here or living outside Kenya. However, in terms of making this a reality, the Executive arm of Government has not moved with haste. Therefore, this House through this Motion has made yet another attempt at urging the Government to try and do what it needs to do to make sure that information is available to the Kenyan people. Whenever we try to computerize, make information available and bring transparency, the Government has always been reluctant in terms of implementation. A very good example is the IFMIS system of payment and transfer of funds within Government systems. If I recollect correctly, this system was purchased by the Government many years ago. In fact, it was purchased some time in 2002. However, it has taken the Government many years to try and implement this system. Why? The reasons are obvious. It was supposed to clear of any corruption or leakages when it came to transferring Government funds from one place to another. There were some officers within the Executive arm of Government who resisted this system year in, year out. They resisted it even after the Government had purchased it. They made sure that payments remained manual as possible. They did not want it to be computerized. The IFMIS started in Uganda many years before it came to Kenya. When it was working in Kenya, there were very many unhappy people. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this GIS that we want to put in place now to make a reality of Article 35, we know is something the Executive arm of Government knows it should be in place. The Syokimau debacle could never have happened if this system was in place. Any person who bothered to check in this system would have known whether this land was available for sale or not. They would have found out whether these pieces of lands were available for sale or not, before they purchased them. They would have known whether they were meant for industrial or residential development. All this information would have been there if the Government was committed to having this system in place. It is not that the Government of Kenya does not know that this thing should be there. However, they did not want it to be there. Through this Motion by hon. Otichilo, this Parliament is stating the obvious that the Government needs to put information in place, particularly so, at the county level. We, who, come from various counties, particularly the ones that are far flung, have issues attracting investments. When this system is in place, any investor, not only outside, but I am talking about specific investors from within the country, will feel free to come to our counties and invest funds if this information is in the Government system. There is a lot of money in this country. However, there is very little information. When Safaricom put its Initial Public Offer (IPO) for purchase of shares, there was over- subscription. This and other IPOs that came afterwards showed that in this country there is a lot of money. This money can be invested. However, our people do not have enough information. Until the Vision 2030 came into place, some of our counties were known only negatively. People know counties from the reports that newspapers give. Investors also know the counties from the information that they receive from newspaper accounts. As we all know, newspaper accounts will only report what is sensational. They will not say investors are required, for example, to nurture crocodiles in Tana River County. They will not tell you to establish a crocodile industry that will process crocodile meat. However, they will report consistently how the people are being eaten by crocodiles. They will not tell you about the benefits that can be accrued from the crocodiles in Turkana County. Instead they will report about wars in Turkana County. Some of these counties have a lot of potential in terms of development. However, this information is not available in the Government systems. It is not doing anything! Even when we passed the Constitution and said in Article 35 that information is supposed to be available, the Executive arm of the Government is not doing anything in that direction. In fact, it is very defensive. Every time you want information, even if you are an investor, you are not given correct information. So, from the county level, we want this Motion to pass. We really and sincerely want the Government to do something about putting proper information about some of these areas wherever we come from. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the secretariat should be established with the passing of this Motion which I want to urge this House to pass. This secretariat will go a long way towards making this a reality. We know that already there is an ICT secretariat in Kenya. If they would not want to set up a new secretariat for the purposes of this Article 35, then they must accommodate what we want in this particular Motion. Information is power. Many countries have developed because of information. Our nation lags behind because of lack of information. Even Kenyans who would have sold potatoes so much in Tana River County, they cannot because they do not know what is lacking or available there. By the passage of this Motion, this House will want the Executive arm of the Government to take the first step forward."
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"content": "With those few remarks, I support"
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mrs. Odhiambo-Mabona",
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"speaker": {
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"legal_name": "Millie Grace Akoth Odhiambo Mabona",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. First, I want to thank hon. Otichillo. Hon. Otichillo is always bringing very good Motions in this House that contribute to the development of this country; this is yet again one of those Motions that speak about issues of the concern to ordinary Kenyans. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to note that one of the primary aims of the information system that is set is to help in planning. I want to speak very specifically about that. In this country, we behave as though we plan by accident. I do not know whether we still have a Ministry of Planning and whether it knows that in other countries people actually plan. It is very embarrassing to see a country where buildings come up and then we look for roads through these buildings. I do not know which miracles we hope to perform. We try and look for where the sewer and other systems will pass once the buildings are in place. I have contributed before in this House about experiences I have had in other countries like Botswana. At one time, we saw a whole field that was very nicely demarcated; we asked what it was all about and we were shown roads, poles for power and systems for water; after that planning, then people could build houses. However, in Kenya, we just build and then try and figure out where the roads will be. After we have done that, we go and attack poor and innocent Kenyans who have worked hard, who do not want to steal, who are not corrupt and we pull down their houses, because they built them on a road reserve. Where was the Government when they were building on a road reserve? Was the Ministry asleep? Really, if it was up to me, I would have disbanded that Ministry and created a new one with new people, who can take their work more seriously. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this country has many young people who are looking for jobs, and who can do excellent work. That is why I am very happy with the Motion that hon. Otichillo has brought here. It will force the planners to effectively plan, so that when we need all the information on planning, then you can actually google and see that where I want to build, according to the Government system, is actually a road reserve, a game park or a place that was designed for children to play on. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, one other reason why I think this Motion is very important is because it will enable us to reduce corruption. In this country whenever you want to get information from any Ministry, whether it is the Ministry of Lands or that of Immigration and Registration of Persons, that information is not readily available unless you are willing to part with a lot of money and this is so across the whole country. If you want to get information about your own land, you cannot get it because corrupt officials will not let you get that information. Now when we have this system, it will ensure that all the information is, as provided in the Constitution, availed at the click of a button. This will reduce corruption because a computer does not ask for a bribe. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in concluding, I want to say that I am happy that it will also facilitate the inclusion of marginalised groups in the development of this country, because it will give us information about gender and development. It will give us information about security, tourism and areas with potential for tourism like Mbita Constituency. Mbita Constituency is a place with a lot of potential for tourism. It is a place that has a lot of potential for development, but because this information is not readily available, then even investors cannot go there. This is information that is kept as a secret. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to thank the hon. Member and I duly support the Motion. I would want to tell the Government that we should not stop here. Once we support and pass this Motion, the Committee on Implementation should follow up and ensure that it is implemented within the life of this Parliament. With those few remarks, I support."
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Imanyara",
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"content": " Before I call the next speaker, hon. Nkaisserry, who is going to be responding on behalf of the Government?"
}
]
}