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{
    "id": 1134317,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1134317/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 123,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Wambua",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13199,
        "legal_name": "Enoch Kiio Wambua",
        "slug": "enoch-kiio-wambua"
    },
    "content": "I thank the Committee led by Sen. Kibiru for a job well done. I have taken time to go through their recommendations and observations and I think they have really captured many things that would make a lot of sense to Kenyans if not all Kenyans. To begin with, I want to address myself to the issue of the five policy priorities that have been identified in the 2022 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS). Just a run down of those priorities, they have captured agriculture, health, social protection, environment and transport. The saying that agriculture is the backbone of our economy, I think, is a cliché and as leaders, we must come to a point that we make a decision as to whether we are willing to walk the talk or just drop the conversation. I say this because, yes, it is true our economy relies largely on agriculture but there is very little support that either the national Government or the county governments give to farmers and it is--- I hope my time is being held. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I was saying that there is so much talk about agriculture being at the center of the growth of our economy but little support is given to our farmers by both the national and county governments. In this Statement and in the final Budget that will come to the Floor of the National Assembly - probably we will also have a bite at it - I will be urging that we begin to walk the talk in terms of agricultural production. Not just production, but any conversation about agriculture in this country that does not put farmers at the center of that conversation, then it is not a valid conversation. I will be pushing very strongly the idea that in the agricultural sector, we push forward the agenda of a one county-one factory policy so that at least in very county in this country we have a factory that does value addition for agricultural produce. That has a spillover effect of not just increasing production but creating job opportunities for our young people. If we go that way, then we will be talking about agriculture being at the center of the growth of our economy. On the second policy priority on health, I take note that this Budget Policy Statement proposes a very insignificant increase in allocation to the health sector of only Kshs8 billion. At times, it is important to look over our shoulders and across our borders to see what other nations and other economies are doing especially on matters health and at such a time as this. It has been said and rightly so that we do not seem to be preparing to live in a post COVID-19 era time any time soon. We are going to have to deal with COVID-19 for a long time to come. At a time like this when new variants are being reported almost daily, I would have expected that a lot more funds would have been put in the health sector to deal with two things: One, to address the issue of management of the spread of the virus. Secondly, as an investment, to produce our own vaccines, to put money into science, into research to produce our own vaccines and roll them out in our country but most importantly to be in a position to effectively roll out the universal health care programme. With Kshs8 billion increase, I am not sure we will be able to achieve anything beyond what we are doing currently."
}