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"id": 1051258,
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"speaker_name": "Sen. Wetangula",
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"legal_name": "Moses Masika Wetangula",
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"content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. I also rise to support and congratulate Sen. Kihika for bringing this Statement on the Floor. Before I say anything, I also welcome her to the baptism by fire that I saw her experience over the weekend. The President of our country is on record, not too long ago, saying that Kshs2 billion is stolen from our coffers every day. Meaning, in a year, we are losing Kshs750 billion plus going out of the State to private individuals who hold positions of trust in our country. Madam Temporary Speaker, when you look around, I have said this before, the wealthiest people in this country are people who have been working in the public service. It means that people go to public offices to work for private gain. This has denied Kenyans many things. Actually, if our public resources were well managed, we would be having a dual carriageway from Mombasa to Malaba for easy movement of goods and services to our hinterland of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, South Sudan and beyond. We would be having a dual carriageway linking Nairobi to northern Kenya, linking Nakuru to Isebania and across the country. However, because Kenyans have been moulded into making no difference between public resources and private wealth, the country is suffering. In fact, I thought Sen. Orengo was going to mention it. The Governor of Laikipia was quoted today in the newspapers saying that counties will now be allowed to directly borrow money for public engagements, including projects and development. Woe to this country if that is going to happen. As it is, we are unable to handle borrowing by the national Government. Yesterday, I asked the National Treasury, in the Standing Committee on Finance and Budget - I think Madam Temporary Speaker you were also in that meeting - that we have rolled out a Budget Policy Statement talking about more borrowing; we are actually digging holes to fill holes; we are talking about more resources going into the public sector, but there is very little mention of strengthening governance in institutions. There is no mention of how the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Judiciary will be strengthened to be the battlefront against fraudsters and corrupt individuals. Therefore, public resources are now private resources. We cannot carry on like this. We need this House and the relevant Committees; the Standing Committee on Finance and Budget and the Standing Committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights, to make sure that resources being channeled out to counties benefit Kenyans. Madam Temporary Speaker, we need to borrow a leaf. There is a Korean President, the daughter of President Park Chung-hee, who came here with pomp and pageantry, we welcomed her here and gave her a State reception. She went back to her The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}