Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 1133910,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1133910/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 145,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tharaka, DP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. George Gitonga",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13491,
        "legal_name": "George Gitonga Murugara",
        "slug": "george-gitonga-murugara"
    },
    "content": " Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Allow me to contribute to the debate on His Excellency the President's State of the Nation Address which he gave to us yesterday. From the outset, let me say that the speech was full of content. There is a lot that His Excellency the President gave to us regarding the state of the country in the various sectors. It was a bit too long. Possibly, it should be slightly abbreviated next time so that he is able to read it in time and that we also are able to comprehend every bit of it without getting tired. The President dwelt on various matters that touched on the state of roads in the country, electricity supply, water supply and food security. In my view, while we are making strides towards these, the rural constituencies continue to suffer. I always speak for my constituency, Tharaka. While we are proud to say we have done 10,500 kilometres of tarmac roads, the only single road I have in my constituency stalled a long time ago. It is now six to seven years and we are still to see it complete. I think the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing, Urban Development and Public Works should now look into this to ensure that these stalled projects are completed. On electricity, we have been able to move from 9.5 per cent towards the 30 per cent mark, but this is still not good enough for our rural constituencies. My plea is to the Ministry of Energy to ensure that Tharaka, like all the other constituencies in the country, is supplied well with electricity and connected to the national grid so that we are towards the 60 per cent to 70 per cent mark. The same applies to water. Tharaka is a semi-arid constituency where water is paramount and prime. Again, in spite of the fact that a lot was said about water, we are yet to see this trickling down to Tharaka. It is the same for food security. There is a drought that is ravaging the country. It has not spared my constituency. I would have loved to hear something regarding this in the speech which could be carried forward by the relevant Ministry to safeguard the lives of the people. Allow me to say more about what I expected and what I expect from the Government. Next year is an election year. All of us are anxious to have free and fair elections. We are concerned with what is happening as we move towards the election year. We are also concerned with the forum that was formed by the Government in which the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and the Chief Justice were invited to sit in. We saw the IEBC pulling out citing various reasons, including interference with its mandate. Its mandate is constitutional. I am in agreement with the IEBC that it is the only entity that is supposed to prepare and conduct elections. I am also concerned that the Chief Justice has been invited. In my view, she should be the one inviting them to the forum and soon after the 9th August 2022 elections, she will be presiding over petitions regarding the elections. Part of the petitions will be that the elections were not conducted well. The net effect here is that we are worried about impartiality when it comes to elections. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}