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{
    "id": 1078702,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1078702/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 224,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Ikolomani, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Bernard Shinali",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1598,
        "legal_name": "Benard Masaka Shinali",
        "slug": "benard-masaka-shinali"
    },
    "content": "areas which the Budget might have left out completely or given low funds, yet if supported, they would generate revenue for the country. The sugar industry in the western region is an area which the National Treasury has left out completely. There was a taskforce which was put in place chaired by the Chairman of the Council of Governors and the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture which proposed that the sugar industry should be privatised. Surprisingly, the Privatisation Commission has only a Chair. It does not have any other members. Nothing has been done on that front, yet farmers are suffering and cannot see their factories helping them. They are just white elephants lying there. Another area is mining. There has been some mining along the western region to Nyanza. There are some rich minerals there including gold and copper. There have been no allocations to the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining. When we came here in 2017, mining had a full-fledged Ministry. It was reduced to a State Department. Right now, it is just a desk. There was a proposal to have a gold refinery in Kakamega County and a granite factory in Vihiga County. Looking at the allocations, to start us off, as seed finance, we only have Kshs13 million. What would Kshs13 million do? On education, those Estimates have allocated funds to the employment of teachers. We know that currently, there is the COVID-19 pandemic which has come with other requirements. We need to employ teachers. The teacher-student ratio is very poor. These Estimates have suggested the employment of 5,000 teachers. Five thousand teachers are not enough although they are trying. It could be because the revenues are not behaving well. We need to employ more teachers. There should be an addition through the supplementary estimates so that we employ more teachers to cater for our young ones. Another area in which I feel funds should be enhanced, should the revenue collection behave well or increase, is those that go directly to the grassroots. There is the Women Enterprise Fund which has only been allocated Kshs120 million. This is a fund which reaches the mamambog a on the ground and the small business people. They borrow money from the Government because they cannot access funds through the banks which have stringent regulations or requirements to borrow money. The Youth Enterprise Development Fund is an area where funds should be enhanced. It has been allocated Kshs435 million countrywide. Those particular areas which would stir economic growth should receive more funding. Touching on agriculture, we know very well that Kenya is a signatory to international declarations like the Maputo and Colombo Declarations. Despite the fact that agriculture is devolved, we need a policy to ensure that we adhere to those declarations that we are signatory to, to ensure that at least 10 per cent of our budget is allocated to agriculture. There is an area where there should be some guidance. There are resolutions which are made by Parliament and nothing is done about them when it comes to the budget. There are former councilors who have served this country. Once you have been a politician, whether elected or nominated, your chances of getting a job out there become limited. The Senate resolved that those ex-councilors be paid a one-off honorarium of Kshs1.5 million and Kshs30,000 monthly. Our ex- councilors are languishing in poverty and there is no one to hold their hand. This is an issue this House should resolve to see to it that our colleagues are cared for because this becomes a hindrance when you want to become a politician. They need to be helped."
}