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{
    "id": 1202290,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1202290/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 181,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Narok North, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Agnes Mantaine",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 420,
        "legal_name": "Richard Moitalel ole Kenta",
        "slug": "richard-moitalel-ole-kenta"
    },
    "content": "also thank the people of Narok North for having elected me to come and represent them in this great House. I want to promise them that I will represent them well. I will also make sure that I articulate the issues that are affecting them. It was not easy for me to be elected first woman in Narok as a Member of Parliament. I come from a constituency that holds on culture. It is a conservative constituency that does not see women as leaders, especially when vying for a position that was once held by the famous Hon. Ole Ntimama. So, when I was going on with my campaigns, the constituents were wondering how this woman would come here and represent them without a rungu. I kept telling them that I do not see rungus in Parliament. Today I want to tell them that I am here and I have not seen any rungu . That means this will give hope to our women. I have a background of going to all villages telling our people not to practise female genital mutilation. I am on record having even taken some people to court to make sure that I fight for the right of our young girls. When I was going on with my campaigns, they were all referring to me as the woman who goes around carrying a wooden model that shows all parts of a woman and the effects of female genital mutilation. Therefore, nobody was sure that I was going to be elected. Even the political parties did not want to associate with me. I happen to come from a constituency that supported the Azimio la Umoja One-Kenya Coalition Party. Unfortunately, its leaders did not want to associate with me. I want to thank the Jubilee Party, which gave me a nomination ticket that has led me here. There are challenges that my constituency is experiencing at the moment. They include the roads, which are in a pathetic state. Farmers rely on these roads for transportation of food commodities to Nairobi. Unfortunately, it is eventually the middlemen who reap the benefits instead of the farmers. There is also lack of clean water and hospitals are in a bad state. The decision to devolve the heath system may not have been right because health concerns people and I think the county government lacks the capacity to run the hospitals. Public hospitals lack water and electricity, and nothing really goes on there. This is an issue that the Members of this House need to relook and find out whether we did justice to our people. Women and children are suffering due to these challenges. Hon. Deputy Speaker, I wish to comment on the Address by the President, which was brief and articulate. It highlighted issues that are affecting Kenyans. As I listened to the issues, I remembered what I promised my people. They include water, roads and good hospitals. We need to look at areas that are really affected by the problem of not having proper infrastructure. The NG-CDF, which is a fund known by everyone, including children and women, women want to know whether it is still operational. We need to come out clearly and defend NG-CDF and make sure that it is constitutionally valid and available to our people. In case there is need for an oversight, we need to come up with laws to ensure prudent use of these funds. The NG- CDF is important in the constituency because, in order to achieve the plan that we have for the people, of easing congestion in secondary schools, we need to construct additional dormitories and dining halls. In matters of education, Kenyans are still lagging behind, more so the girlchild. The society needs to appreciate the importance of education. Most girls have gone to school and some are even trained teachers but unemployment is a challenge. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) needs to give priority to the local people, including those who have not necessarily stayed out for long after graduation, when it comes to employment. I would urge the TSC to employ the locals so that they can also agree to go to the schools that are in remote areas. In most cases, the teachers who get employed from far are unable to work in remote areas like Narok. They want to work around towns and areas closer to the roads. The President’s Speech also raised issues of affordable housing, which I think should not only be implemented in towns but also in the counties so that people can also have access to decent housing and comfort. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for informationpurposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}