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{
    "id": 1031926,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1031926/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 218,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "Madam Deputy Speaker, the 5,000 health workers were to be hired much earlier so we hope that it can be done soon. One of my major highlights is what the President said in Paragraph 48 of his speech. The President stated that: - “The East Africa’s premier mental health facility will be established to offer training and research in psychiatry, specialized psychiatric services, forensic psychiatric services, child and adolescent mental services and substance abuse, addictive disorders treatment and rehabilitation services.” A renewed focus on mental health wellness is need in this country because there is a crisis. On Friday last week, I visited Dr. Frank Njenga in his clinic and saw a huge number of youths there. The huge number of youths that I saw there are only those who can afford. Across the country in our counties, very many people are suffering from mental health challenges and we do not have clinical psychologists. I am glad that I was able to meet the Chairpersons of County Public Service Board as the Chairperson of the Committee on Labour and Social Welfare and told them to include clinical psychologists in there schemes of service. Let us renew our focus and budgeting at the county level to mental health. It is a challenge which you only realize when it comes close to your doorstep. I am glad that we have one of the pioneers and the biggest champions for mental wellness here. We need to renew those efforts. I am glad we have one of the pioneers and the biggest champion for mental health, Sen. Kasanga in this House. Do not get tired. Do not think about your Bill, but think about the awareness you can raise with the County Assemblies. The money we have given them for health, let us think of ring-fencing some, for mental health. Madam Deputy Speaker, the President in his speech says: “In economic development it is not about intention, but results, not about the volume of what we do, but the impact of what we achieve.” I am glad he spoke about dealing with the poverty of dignity in terms of housing. I am glad of what is happening in Nairobi. With the Nairobi Metropolitan Service (NMS), we can do more. We need to do more in terms of housing. We have seen what is in Park Road and many of these areas. I acknowledge the President’s focus on Nairobi as a county. It has helped us over the past few months. We raised a question when the BBI Report was released, that the services or the functions of Nairobi were being transferred permanently. I am 100 per cent against that. You cannot permanently transfer functions of one county. So far, I am glad that the steering Committee has listened to us. Nairobians deserve devolution like anybody else in this country. The lady in Mutuuini needs to have somebody she can hold politically accountable for our health services. People want to touch and feel their leader. If you read the book of Samuel in the Bible, the Israelites were told that if they have a king, he will be bad, but they said they wanted a king over them. Let us not solve a temporary problem with a permanent solution. We have had two governors who failed, but it does not mean we will not get it right. We will get it"
}